“Goddamn it. It’s Doc’s woman. Lafe, get over here.” The raw smell of sex and semen mixed with the other odors taunted her. Without warning she spewed a choking vomit over the thugs who surrounded her.
“Christ.”
“Fucker.”
“Aww, for Christ sakes, bitch.” Glittering hatred from arrogant, overfed, puffy faces stared at her. Signs of the worthless men they would become seeped from every pore, violence dancing on the verge of explosion.
“What the hell are you doing here, Suzy?” Lafe stared at her, murder in his eyes, his arm wrapped around the neck of the surviving Janice twin.
“Ha, ha, he calls his mother Suzy.”
Lafe exploded. “She’s not my mother, asshole.”
From deep in her bowels, Suzy felt a rumble . . . a vibration. The small crowd of Lafe’s men grew silent as they too grew aware of the vibration. It sounded as if it came from the back of the cavern; from the cavern wall.
Unexpectedly, Suzy felt a warm wet gush puddling on the rock floor. My baby . . . oh please. Not now!
Groaning and bending over, Suzy realized her cramps were actually contractions. Lafe nodded to one of his men, signaling him over to Suzy as the Janice twin began to struggle in his grip. Suzy tried to resist as Lafe’s minion wrapped his arms around her, squeezing under her breasts.
“My baby’s coming, you fool. Lay me down.”
As Suzy wrestled with the thug, the Janice twin began to scream. A horrendous sound of rock rendering on rock filled the cavern. The thugs began to back up, Suzy getting free in the process. Glancing to the back of the cavern in time to watch a live gelatinous mass ooze into the room, Suzy could feel her bowels release, the young men joining her as the stench hit her nostrils.
The large mass rose high into the cavern, its rear disappearing into the rock wall it had just broken through. Flickers of light, emerald and white, flashed inside the translucent beast. It emanated a deep musky earthiness and sulfur which mixed with the cacophony of odors already assailing Suzy’s senses.
Lafe dropped the Janice twin and began to back-peddle toward the entrance, his fellow thugs frozen in place.
“Hey . . . what the hell’s going on in—holy shit.” The men from the growing field appeared at the entrance, shoved further along by the appearance of the women Suzy had spoken to in the fields. Bloodless expressions testified to their shock.
One of the women reached out to call to her. “Suzy, don’t move. I’m coming to get you.”
“No. Jessica. Stay there.” Suzy glanced at the pile of infant skulls. Hadn’t Jessica had an infant taken from her? She checked the monstrous mass that wavered high in the air. It appeared it didn’t know what to do as it clearly focused on her. Steeling herself, she knew she had better not show fear. Not to the thing or to the women. She was a leader. “I’ll crawl over to you.” A contraction hit hard. She bit down on her lip, feeling blood well.
“Ohhhh.” Breathing hard, she tried to pull herself up, embers from the old fire pit staining her trembling fingers as they clawed deep.
“Suuuzyyyy . . .”
She raised her hand for silence, hoping no one would discover the remains in the nasty piles she lay behind. The monster suddenly took its attention off her as it dipped down to the supine Janice twin in the back of the cavern. It hovered over the body as if sniffing. The truncated head of the beast suddenly shifted to Lafe’s gang members, who cowered together against the dank cavern wall.
It happened so fast it took a few seconds to actually register. The monster dipped down, wrapping its gelatinous mass around the four men like a rope. One minute they were there, pissing their pants, and the next they were absorbed into the beast. Suzy could distinguish the lumps their bodies made as they traveled deep into the mass and out of sight.
Screams from the women again drew her attention. Struggling through another contraction, she watched as the beast headed toward the crowd from the fields, backing them up against the wall where they cringed, the cowardly men shivering behind the shield of women.
The contractions were coming hard and fast.
“Oh my Godddddddd . . .” Breathing heavily between screams, she attempted to pull herself further away from the pile of infant skulls. With her face pressed close to the rock floor she persevered, inch by inch.
Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her. She froze, afraid to look. From the bottom of her bare feet, she felt a pressure that slowly moved up her legs, lifting her off the cold floor. The pressure reached her head, cradling and flipping her over to stare into the eyeless face of the creature.
Spreading her hands to steady herself, she found she was suspended and supported by the body of the creature as it pulled its head back to watch her. Her hands failed to sink into the creature’s flesh as she would have supposed. Instead, she felt solid warm support, surprisingly comfortable. Her nerves calmed and her breathing slowed. Unaccountably, she felt her limbs relax. As the unexpected relaxation took command of her body, she felt no terror or panic as she lay in the grip of the monster.
Silence from the terrorized crowd from the growing field allowed her to concentrate on her baby. She could feel its time and desire to be born. With a painful swoosh, the baby passed through her birth canal and lay between her upraised legs. She searched for her first sighting, but found she couldn’t raise her head.
The infant was silent. Her heart began to trip as she listened for a sound. From up high, she watched as elongated protrusions descended from the creature’s head to where the baby lay. She saw them lift the baby, turning it over. The baby mewled. The arms of the creature placed the baby alongside her as she felt a second rush of pain from between her legs. The afterbirth? A second sound came from between her legs as another gush told her something special had just occurred.
She felt her pulse quicken and then subside as unaccountable feelings of peace quelled her panic once more.
The creature lifted the second baby, hanging suspended over her while it weaved back and forth. Her second child cried as it nestled in the monster’s care, the umbilical cord still attached to her. She waited for the creature to return her baby, feeling overcome by the hint of sulfur that mixed with all the other ungodly odors of the cavern, forcing her nausea to return.
She valiantly attempted to suppress the urge to vomit, and the creature dropped her second baby into her arms. As she marveled at the luck of two babies, the creature lowered her to the ground, withdrawing the support of its body, then turned and disappeared into the hole at the back of the cavern from which it came.
The suddenness of the creature’s disappearance stunned them all. Suzy lay immobile on the cold rock floor of the cavern, her babies gripped in her arms alongside her flaccid, aching body.
Slowly, the women from the growing field crept toward her, the men fleeing out of the cave, deserting them.
“We need to get out of here, Suzy.”
“Oh, look at the babies.” Hushed murmurings drew her attention to the babies. She looked down in disappointment.
“Don’t worry, Suzy. They’re still beautiful. And twins . . . twice blessed.”
One of the women stood tall and apart from the others; her face a cypher of accusations. “The beast didn’t hurt you. It helped you with your birthing. What does this mean, Suzy?”
“I . . . I don’t know, Grendel.” Suzy’s voice was surprised and wondering, her mind off Lafe, the Janice twins and her birthing for the first time all day.
The women huddled around Suzy, somber and in awe. Whispers sped around, murmurings of the benevolence of the monster and its fortuitous appearance just when Suzy had needed a savior.
More whisperings . . . the hiss of accusation, the murmurings of awe and fright.
From the entrance to the little cavern came hurried footsteps. The excited men entered, Doc Benjamin held up between two of his men. His hand held a piece of cloth that blotted at the blood dripping from his ears and his nose; one of the signs of the sickness. Suzy cou
ld tell from her still supine position on the ground that blood had begun to leak from his eyes. That was a bad sign. Doc didn’t have long.
Suzy shuddered at the thought that he might turn over the leadership to one of his men before she had everything in place. It was unthinkable.
Doc’s men lowered him gently to the floor until he was sitting comfortably at Suzy’s side.
“Why don’t you boys check the back wall where the beast seems to have disappeared.” He waved the men to the back of the cavern.
“But, Doc. What if it comes back?” His men stood above him, loaded and weighed down with a large part of their personal arsenals, faces white and doughy with fear in the dim light of their lanterns.
“For Christ’s sake, Jet. Shoot the damn thing. Can you manage to do that, or do I need to show you how?”
The men quickly slinked to the back of the cavern and Doc turned back to Suzy, his voice whispery and full of happy concern. “You had the baby. I guess I mean babies. Ha, ha.” He leaned in to get a better look. “What? Oh no.”
Suzy’s face reflected all the love and hope she had for her babies. She stroked them softly. “I know. But everything else is fine. A boy and a girl. Isn’t that perfect?”
“Yeah, yeah. That’s great, Suzy. I was hoping for a boy. One that could take over the tribe.”
Suzy’s heart froze. “I thought we agreed I would take over.”
Doc stroked his wispy beard, his eyes sly and glittery despite the smears of blood. “Well now, my girl. I don’t rightly know. You sure are a mystery—a stubborn, pushy, secretive pain in my ass. Are you going to tell me what you know about this monstrous creature?”
Suzy’s face was incredulous. “I don’t know anything. What the heck are you saying, Doc?”
“Seems to me when a woman is about to be under assault by a bunch of thugs, she might need a bit of help. Interesting how the creature showed up just when you needed it. And then helps you with your birthing . . .”
Doc stared at the infants, emotions flickering across his face. “What am I to make of this, Suzy?”
And just like that, Suzy was struck by a lightning bolt, her conniving mind working overtime. “Make of it what you will. Perhaps it was just a coincidence.”
“A coincidence you say? I would say that’s unlikely.” His voice rose, a bitter edge emerging, his brows knitted with unsuppressed anger. “Does this have anything to do with your grandfather? I remember Seth’s claim of his shelter and growing food. Hmm . . . then we’re surprised with our own field of food. Just like it was magic.” His anger replaced itself with pensive wondering as he eyed the silent Suzy. “Still not talking, eh?”
“I could ask my beast to come back to answer your questions if you would prefer.” She swallowed her trembling to spit out her outrageous claim, careful to stay as casual as she could.
As they locked eyes, Suzy watched hesitation and anger war in his expression, defeat coming when all that remained to declare her a victor was naked terror.
Scrambling up as the men returned from the back of the cavern, he said, “We need to get the three of you home.” He turned to his men. “Well?”
“Nothin there, Doc. Just a highly-compacted round hole. The edges looked burnt or something. We could smell a funky odor and something like sulfur. Must be from the monster.”
Doc shrugged with frustration. “All right. Let’s get my women out of here. You can come back later and board over the hole. Although I don’t know how much good it will do if she decided to call him again.”
The men erupted. “What the fuck?”
“What do ya mean, Doc? You mean she can speak to the monster?”
Suzy closed her eyes to listen with satisfaction as Doc ordered the men not to repeat a word to anyone.
She knew it would circulate through the tribe within five minutes of her arrival back at the hovel. And, knowing the superstitious tribe members, she knew it wouldn’t be the beast that would be the topic of conversation. It would be the fact that she could control it. Or so they would suspect.
Suzy suppressed her tired satisfaction as she felt herself lifted onto a wagon supplied by the arrival of more of Doc’s men. As they wound through the tunnels, murmurs and whispers reached her alert ears.
Cupping her two tiny infants close, she rubbed her lips over their claw-like deformed hands. Kissing her little girl’s right hand, she examined the birdlike extremity, its last two fingers fused into one, with a large birthmark in the shape of a half-moon. The infant waved her tiny, normal hand in the air.
“I think I’ll name you Lorna, after my dear Grandmother Calloway.”
Turning to her son, she placed her finger into the tightly-curled and emaciated claw of his left hand, the last two fingers fused just like Lorna’s and sporting the same large purple half-moon wrapped around his left thumb.
“And the only name fit for my son, who will become a great support to you as I pass on the rule of the tribe, will be the only other name I remember from my past. You will grow to be a great man. I’ll teach you how. You’re destined to help your sister rise to rule this tribe and then the planet. I will change the course of this planet through your sister. She will be the one. And you will help her to attain her success.”
Suzy cooed to the two infants, their futures seemingly assured through her plans of grit and determination.
“And won’t you be sooo happy to help your sister. Yes, my little man.” Suzy poked the infant’s tummy, causing him to look straight at her. He stared unblinking and quiet.
“Hello, Seth. Welcome to your new world.”
Chapter 8
News of Suzy’s birthing and the return of the men from the cavern where the beast had helped deliver her babies traveled fast. A large crowd awaited them at their hovel.
Waving everyone aside, the men assisted Doc into his quarters while the crowd hovered around the newborns in the wooden wagon with Suzy. The men were respectful, befitting the reflected power held by Suzy as Doc’s woman. The women of the tribe held their silence out of respect for their secret leader.
But Suzy could hear the faint whispers about the deformity. In the past, the boy would have been taken. The girl would be saved as she would be useful as a sexual plaything for the men of the tribe. Suzy’s influence over the years had mandated the cardinal rule of no touching until the age of sixteen where all girls were given over to the next man in Doc’s line.
Well, that’s not going to happen to my baby, Lorna. As soon as the next council meeting convenes, I’ll make damn sure Lafe gets what’s coming to him for the death and assault on the Janice twin. The remaining twin will just have to suck it up and go to the man she’s promised to.
Suzy caressed the top of Seth’s soft head, grateful her boy would be spared the horrifying ending represented by the tiny skulls she had found near the old camp fire in the cavern. She idly wondered who of the remaining original men from Doc’s inner council had been in on the cannibalism. Her nerves burned with bitter hatred for the greedy sick men. Pushing a germ of an idea to the back of her mind, she made ready to be eased out of the wagon.
*
Three hours later, with help from Liz and some of the other women, Suzy finished bathing. Her every bone ached with pains and exhaustion.
“We’re all right now, Liselle. Why don’t you and the rest go and have your dinner? I’ll see you all in the morning. We can talk about our plans for the men’s council meeting then.” She fought to keep her eyes open and focused.
“We have a lot to go over. We must be prepared. Doc’s really sick. It won’t be much longer. We must see to it that I’m appointed in his place. We might have to let him think it’s just temporary. Until Seth is of age. But it will be Lorna we prepare.” Her eyelids lowered as her voice trickled off. “Check the babies once more, Liselle. Make sure they’re snug and can’t roll out.”
“They’re fine, Suzy, safe in their beds. We’ll bring a proper bed for Seth in the morning. But he’s fine now. Sl
eep.” With that, Liselle and the women left the bedroom to take their leave, and Suzy drifted off to a deep exhausted slumber.
*
The next day, Suzy sat nursing Seth and Lorna as she tried to reason with Doc about the necessity of making her leader of the tribe.
“If you’re going to continue yammering about this all day, Suzy, I’m going to leave. Can’t we have one day without you plying your manipulations on me? I hear what you’re saying. Now give me one of my babies.” She blotted the weeping blood on his arm, wrapping precious gauze around the worst of his non-healing sores. She then placed Lorna in his arms, hoping to have him fall in love with her first.
Doc’s scrawny body left little room to cuddle Lorna. Her claw-like hand tangled awkwardly in his long clumpy hair. As he became sick, he had stopped attending to his toilet and no longer bothered to sweep it back in a ponytail. Suzy cringed at the dirt and grime under his nails as he touched the baby.
“I saw them, you know,” she informed him.
“You saw what?”
“The skulls. The infant skulls.” Her mouth screwed up in distaste, her accusation skewering him with its venom. Suzy moaned with the thought of the pain the infants must have gone through in the hands of Doc and his brutal men as they readied them for the fire pits.
“You didn’t see shit.”
“I saw them.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about woman, and if you keep it up, I’m going to be forced to shut you up, you hear me?” Doc’s eyes exploded with wildness, Suzy was too engrossed in her own revulsion to heed the warning signs.
“Ha, ha, ha. What can you do, old man? Look at you.” She found herself unable to stop, the words tumbling off her sour lips. ”You can barely get it up anymore, you leak your nasty blood all over everything. Even your men are pulling away,” she lied.
“What’s that you say? My men? I’ll show you who can’t get it up anymore.” He transferred Lorna to his ramshackle bed, stripping off her blanket to leave her fully exposed. He fumbled with his pants, dropping them to his ankles and leered over the infant, stroking his flaccid penis as he made ready to inflict horror on the newborn.