by Cervo, RD
“More than fifty?”
“I am not sure.”
“More than thirty?”
Visibly shaking, the old man says, “I swear, I do not know! It could be less than ten. I do not know the welfare of my kin. Lot is my nephew. He and his family are prisoners of Sodom. I believe in my heart that Lot is not yet inflicted with the sickness of that vile god.”
Sternly and coldly, the stranger says, “There will be only one God allowed in this world of mankind. We will destroy the Cities of the Plains after all the non-inflicted are rescued.”
“Will you save Lot and his family. I am too feeble to fight.”
“We will spare Lot’s life. And you and your wife will bear another son.”
Across the way, Abraham’s elderly wife, Sarah, is anxiously watching and eavesdropping through a slit in the opening of a tent. Impulsively, she laughs when she hears the prophecy of her giving birth.
Shocked, the old man inquires, “What shall I call my son?”
The middle stranger answers, “Isaac.”
Abraham is in awe and he pleads, “Please tell me! Where are you from?”
The middle stranger answers, “From the stars.”
In the next nanosecond, the three black robed strangers vanish into thin air. Dover feels a passing surge of amazing energy.
CHAPTER 9
6,000 BC
Sodom
Moments After Midnight
GULLA HAS POSSESSED THE BODY OF ANOTHER ALBINO SCORPION AND VIGILANTLY WAITS INSIDE THE LAIR OF THE BLACK STONE OBELISK. Outside on the main temple alter, the young pregnant girl is in a catatonic state. She stands naked, rigid and motionless in a pool of her own splattered urine. The sclera of her eyes is colored red from ruptured optic capillaries. Her belly bulges and pulsates. Gulla anticipates the birth of the perfect hybrid. There is a dead stillness throughout the ziggurat. Sequestered in the side chambers, the temple priests are similarly upright. They wait in a zombie-like trance in complete darkness.
Suddenly there is an intruding energy. Deep within the obelisk, the scorpion’s tail retracts into a curl then jabs downward. Gulla panics but quickly stops the arachnid from injecting itself with its own venom. Gulla thinks, something has tried to make my vessel my assassin.”
A piercing scream echoes throughout the dark temple. The young girl’s water just broke. It gushes from her womb in the form of gouts of green fishy syrup.
Gulla reflects, they have finally discovered me. I feel their presence. They know I am about to unleash a new species on earth. My child is soon to be born and it will rule this planet. But they dare to try and stop me. ME! They are somewhere in the city. They are searching for someone.
With a surge of telepathic power, Gulla sends out a command to all the young males in Sodom to come forth and destroy the intruders.
And for their impudence they shall pay. I will reward them all with the agony of this realm.
CHAPTER 10
6,000 BC
Sodom
An hour before dawn
FAR AWAY FROM GULLA’S TEMPLE, in the outskirts of Sodom, Lot is awake in his small mud brick hovel. He just became aroused from an intoxicated stupor. He has been plagued by nightmares. Rising from his woven mat, he rubs his balding head and searches for the smoldering oil lamp in the darkness. His long cotton tunic is tattered and stained with wine.
My dreams were wicked. The worst ever. There is much foreboding.
Lot looks over at Ado his wife. She is snoring loudly like a large pig. She is buried under a heap of camel skin blankets.
He mutters to himself, “She has come back home again. She stinks of semen.”
In the corner of the tiny room, Lot’s two young daughters are quietly slumbering. They are wrapped up in their robes. With shaky hands, Lot reaches out to find his dented metal drinking cup. Nearby, are clay amphorae of wine.
Ado stirs and her blood shot eyes pop wide open. She too has been disturbed by nightmares. She just dreamt that salt was pouring from her vagina and piling up in a bright white mound between her bare feet. Looking over at Lot, she growls with loathing, “I awake to see an ugly fat and drunkard husband. Your beard is dirty and always wet with wine. It is shameful that you cannot comfort me after I had such a troubling vision. I hope the salt flowing from my womb is not a prophecy.”
“Keep your voice low, woman,” Lot grumbles, “do not bother our daughters while they rest!”
Ado whispers back in a mocking tone, “It is interesting that you have refused to utter a single word to me in over a year! And tonight, you finally address me. Do I see tears in your eyes? Are you crying? You are such a drunken fool.”
Humiliated, Lot quickly wipes away the streaks from his bloated face. He sighs, “we are prisoners of Sodom. It is a curse to stay here. This place has made you go astray.”
“No, it is not Sodom,” Ado hisses, “you became first a prisoner to the wine. You care more for what is in that cup than your wife. I need passion.”
“What kind of woman are you?”
“A woman who is full of yearning. You abandoned me in your drunkenness. My loneliness made go to the temple of Gulla.”
“What happens to you when you go to that wicked place? I no longer know my wife. I have been a coward and afraid to stop you. Some say I should stone you to death for such disobedience.”
Sneering, Ado replies, “No mortal man can compete with the power of Gulla, especially an impotent old drunk like you. I do remember when you were young and once a leader of a tribe. But now, I do not fear you in the least.”
Lot sobs, “Did you love me then?”
Ado is shocked by the question. A tinge of hurt and sadness is triggered but she refuses to answer. Lot drops his drinking cup and reaches out for one of the clay jugs. In desperation, he lifts the vessel and starts pouring a stream of wine into his mouth. The fluid splashes down his grey beard and on to his belly.
In the next moment, there is a sharp knock on the outer wall of the small mud brick hovel. Both Lot and Ado are alarmed.
“Who can it be?” gasps Lot. “Who dares come here? Especially at night.”
Lot is frozen with fear. The knock comes again. Both young daughters start to waken. The crude door made of tethered goat hide and sticks is lifted away. At the portal to the hovel, two black- robed strangers stand momentarily silent and imposing. Their faces are hidden by the hoods of their garb. Stooping, the strangers drift in like phantoms and come to tower over the four homos- sapiens huddled in the small dank space. Ado wants to reach for her stone dagger but is paralyzed. Lot tips over his wine jug and manages only to quiver and cower. The two young girls attempt to scream but are halted by an invisible power. A stifling moment of stillness occurs except for the fast beating of human hearts.
Dover’s voyeuristic presence is crammed into the room to witness the encounter. He thinks, I feel them scanning the family. What are they searching for? For a brief second, Dover also senses the strangers detecting his presence but then quickly moving away. Dover questions in amazement, who are they?
One of the strangers finally speaks, his voice crystal clear and calm, “Those who are not infected with the sickness of Gulla must leave now to be saved. The Cities of the Plains are to be destroyed.”
Lot cries out, “Please rescue us from this terrible place! Help us flee from here!”
Ado clenches her teeth and is filled with dread and confusion. There is a stinging sensation in her vagina. The daughters hug each other for comfort and are mortified. Suddenly, far in the distance the blast of shofars can be heard coming from the ziggurat. The sound of the horns carries throughout the city in a long droning call of alarm. Pounding drumming can be heard next, followed by rage- filled chanting. In the cold night air, the echo of crazed shouting begins to grow as a mob forms. There is an impromptu stampede as the gathering horde charges through the narrow labyrinth of alley ways.
Ado squints at the two robed figures and mutters with a malicious smirk, “The
servants of Gulla are coming.”
The oldest daughter whimpers in fright, “What is happening?”
Lot looks up at the two robed figures for reassurance but the strangers remain silent. In a frenzied sprint, the mob is coming closer and closer. The thumping of running feet and snarling grows louder and louder. Powerful telepathy has directed those males infected with Gulla’s DNA to rally and heed the call. Hundreds now encircle Lots tiny mud brick hovel. Both of Lot’s daughter are trembling with terror and continue to clutch each other.
“Wh-What do we do?” stutters Lot.
The two strangers remain taciturn and motionless like statues. Secretly, they are channeling a devastating energy from the universe. It is being absorbed into their worldly bodies only to be weaponized in the coming moments. It is a precursor to the unleashing of an even greater armament at dawn’s first light.
“Go outside and see what they want.” hisses Ado to her husband.
“I think there are many.” Lot replies in fear.
“Be brave for once in your life.” Ado scolds, “stand before them and find out what they seek. Your daughters will lose the last bit of respect for you if you do not go.”
On wobbly legs, Lot finds himself obeying his wife. Slowly, he crouches and starts moving forward. “What am I doing?” Lot whines to himself, “who awaits me out here?” He exits out the front of the dwelling. He instantly gulps and almost faints as he sees the horde surrounding his home. They are all males with shaven heads. Primitive designs of celestial constellations and scorpions are tattooed on their torsos and faces. Glistening in the torch light, their naked bodies are drenched with sweat. Their chests are heaving as they pant. There is the frightening sound of grumbling and chomping teeth. Many of the youths have full rigid erections with their foreskins dripping with the slimy custardy infection of Gulla. All of them have shiny yellow irises that glow in the night like fireflies. The largest of the males, steps forward and says with an inhuman raspy tone, “Bring out the two strangers.”
Lot notices that the tall youth has abnormally long and pointed incisors.
“Do as I say, now,” barks the youth, flashing his fangs.
Shaking, Lot replies, “I-I-I have two young virgin daughters. You can have them. Just leave us be.”
Inside the hovel, Lot’s daughters hear their father offering up their lives. Ado spats, “He cares nothing of his own children. My husband is a coward.”
At the entrance to the hovel, the tall youth looks down at Lot and seethes with wrath, “We don’t want your daughters. We want the two men that hide in your home. We are going to eat them. Later, you will sift through our dung and find their splintered bones. We are the sons of Gulla.”
Panicking, Lot begins to babble for mercy while urinating on himself. The tall male lunges forward to grab Lot by the throat with clawing hands. Instantly, all time becomes frozen. Only the two black-robed figures can move, as they emerge from the hovel and materialize before the encircling mob. One of the robed strangers raises his arm and emits a bright, white flash resonating from his open palm. The large attacking male feels a searing hot pressure in his eye sockets. In the next nanosecond, both of his eyeballs explode in a spray of aqueous humor and blood. The ability to physically react is regained and the youth screams in agony and falls to the ground in front of Lot. Many in the crowd also collapse on top of each other, squirming in immediate intense pain. Some stumble about, screeching and attempting to run with zero ability to see. All the sons of Gulla have been struck with blindness. No longer do any of them have the shiny yellow glint in their irises. The surging energy had fried optic nerves and retinas and caused many eyeballs to pop. Cries for help and wailing madness fills the night air. Lot’s sight has not been affected. He continues to stand there bewildered with his face speckled with the aqueous humor and blood from his would-be-strangler.
One of the black-robed strangers turns and says to Lot, “It is time to flee. Sodom and Gomorrah will be destroyed as the sun rises.”
CHAPTER 11
6,000 BC
Sodom
On the verge of dawn
OUTSIDE THE CITY WALLS, Dover now observes from high above, as the four struggle and scramble toward the open desert. The black-robed strangers have vanished out of sight. Lot was directed to flee to Zoar for sanctuary. A few other dwellers not infected with the DNA of Gulla have also been warned. Dover watches them abscond from the breaks and gaps in the stone fortress like scurrying mice.
Lot is sweating and wheezing as he attempts to tread fast while cradling a large clay amphora of his precious wine. He had commanded his daughters leave behind their personal belongings for them to carry his additional jugs. Ado lags in the rear, with her coarse camel- skin blanket wrapped around her body. The sun has not yet risen and desert air is still frigid.
“Dawn is coming and we must hurry,” Lot says gasping, “make sure you do not drop the vessels that you are holding.”
Lot’s oldest daughter speaks out in concern, “Father, our mother is not keeping up with us. She is many steps behind!”
“She is on her own path,” Lot replies, “Let her be! Keep moving. We must make it as far away from this city as possible. We must make it to the open desert to be safe.”
Abruptly, Ado stops walking and turns around to look back at the city of Sodom. Gulla, her God, calls to her. She knows she bears his infection in the secretions of her odiferous womb. She mumbles, “I do not want to follow that other God. It is you that gives me passion. Will you finally reveal your true greatness and have a child that will rule this world?”
At this very moment, inside the ziggurat, the young pregnant bride lays naked on her back. She writhes on the cold stones of the altar floor. Gulla is no longer in the lair of the black obelisk but is still in the form of a tiny white arachnid. The scorpion is perched on top of the girl’s bulging belly, tail raised, ready to sting anyone who dare come near. In the sanctuary, the temple priests and guards are prostrated in an obedient coma-like trance. A blood curdling scream erupts from the young pregnant bride as the head of the mutant child starts to crown. Her taut labium stretches and tear. She shits as she strains and pushes.
Ado senses the pending arrival of the new prince on earth. She tosses off her camel fur blanket and starts disrobing. Her large pierced breasts hang loose. Exposing her naked tattooed body with glee, she rushes up to the crest of a small sand dune and raises up her arms. Ado shouts: “OH, GULLA! LET YOUR CHILD BE BORN! OUR SAVIOR! OUR MASTER!”
Far in the distance, Lot pauses for a moment then yells at his daughters, “I forbid you to look back. Keep moving and look only straight ahead!”
Hovering over Ado in his invisible voyeuristic presence, Dover is again detected. The CIA agent is familiar with the old Bible story. He knows the outcome of Lot’s wife. Ado peers up to an empty patch of space in the firmament. She feels an immediate vibe of doom. Crying out in fear and anger, she says, “who are you that watches me like a ghost from the future? I read your thoughts just now! What makes you conjure in the image of a pillar of salt? What does it mean?”
On the dark purple horizon comes a slight sliver of dawn. High above the planet’s orbit, there is an immense presence of formulating energy. It flows from a different dimension. With the coordinates verified by the scouts, it is released with lethal accuracy. The air temperatures in Sodom and Gomorrah begin to drastically rise and there is a hot orange overcast. One of the old hags looks ups, squints against the glare and thinks that the sun is approaching too close to the ground. Then comes pulsating bombardments of searing heat. Inside the ziggurat, Gulla senses the celestial attack and scurries off the belly of the delivering bride. The temple priests and guards still do not move as all the stones of the sanctuary become hotter and hotter with each passing second. There is no protection in the lair of the black obelisk. Quickly, Gulla makes it inside the hole but the monolith becomes an oven. Squirming in pain, the little scorpion cooks like a Tandoori shrimp. It stings its
elf in a dying frenzy. Sizzling sounds fill the sanctuary as the flesh of the human beings’ broil on the super-heated rocks. The hypnotized priests and guards are mute in their torment. Blisters form and pop all over the body of the delivering mother. Her hair smolders, then ignites while she continues to shriek in agony. The mutant baby is poached to death while still lodged in her birth canal. Another hot wave of directed energy envelopes the ziggurat. Inside the sanctuary, the obelisk glows bright red then explodes with a spray of molten shards that pierce many of the burning bodies like flaming daggers. A third pulse of energy turns the entire temple into lava blooming with arcing fireballs.
Not far away, Gomorrah is also being annihilated by the barrage from the universe. The encircling vultures catch fire in mid-air, sending their feathers floating about like embers. A group of old hags, mid-wives and mutant monstrosities try to escape the searing heat by jumping into the latrine pits. The stench is horrific as they instantly boil to death in the bubbling pools of urine and feces. Bellowing blooms of fetid steam rises from the stew.
On the crest of the sand dune, Ado is silhouetted by the blazing inferno in the distance. She watches in awe and despair as the firestorm engulfs the entire city. The blinded sons of Gulla are instantly incinerated along with all the remaining souls in Sodom. In the next second, penetrating rays flash out across the desert from the center of the conflagration. A thin beam of light strikes Ado in the middle of her forehead. She whimpers, “They found me.” An invasive wave of energy scans her entire biological makeup, searching every one of her fifty-five trillion cells. Gulla’s DNA is detected in abundance in her ravaged reproductive track. There is also an infestation in her spinal cord and hippocampus. The malignancy and the host begin to be destroyed as one. Burning sensations in her womb turn icy cold then completely numb. Ado does not have time to scream or collapse as every molecule of her essence is altered. Sodium chloride streams from her vagina and anus and starts piling up in a white mound between her bare feet. It pours out of her nose, mouth and ears as her brain turns into powdered bromide. All warmth of color disappears from Ado’s body. The underlying skeleton is transformed into halite. With calcified lifeless eyeballs, Ado now resembles the statue of a defunct idol abandoned on the crest of a lonely sand dune.