The Colony Box Set

by J. D. Grayson

  The commune came into close view, temple rock in the watery distance. A big smile crossed Ivan’s face, imagining pearl gates tempting possible prospects. “Now this is what I expected! Tell me comrade, where are the remaining men? I’ll thank them with bonuses.”

  Mr. Udom grabbed Ivan by the suit jacket, getting in his face. “Don’t you get it? They’re eaten alive...rotting in stomachs and graves! All to build your bullshit utopia!” He spit in Freedmen’s face.

  The security guards forced Udom off his boss, wiping Ivan’s face. Ivan asked in disbelief, “You’re the only one alive?”

  Udom drew his side arm, placing it to his head. “No,” he said, pulling the trigger.

  The comrade’s body crashed to the ground. Ivan Freedmen stood over his old friend, pausing in thought. Looking around at the fence, he knew it was now secure. Turning towards his security team, he ordered, “Radio headquarters. Tell them we need more laborers...quickly. Our guests will arrive in mere months...we’ve got a boardwalk to build. Get that front gate fixed. Welcome to Aionios, gentlemen.”

  Part III-To Kill or Not

  Even under Eden’s tempting spell, Dylan Hunter couldn’t risk his wife’s safety. The buzzed man backed away from the curved beauty’s touch. Running a hand down his face, fear suddenly sobered him. He gazed over at Jenna Smith, chained in constant captivity. His moral compass spun with magnetic confusion, as he silently wondered, I don’t know if Aionios is the bad one...or Eden. Maybe the real question is...which one’s worse? “I can’t kill the deity,” he said boldly.

  Eden’s wicked smile melted from her face. Her sexual appeal had never been denied. “Can’t...or won’t?” she said in insulted anger. Sensing her rising body temperature, the yellow python wrapped tighter around her waist.

  “Both,” Dylan proclaimed.

  She approached him again, unwilling to accept rejection. “You’d pass this body up?” she asked, roving her curves with brightly painted nails. Her nipples rose from her own beloved touch. “Men have killed for this body. I could have them killed for denying it.”

  Dylan’s heart thumped with worry. “So it’s not a choice?”

  “I told you before, Dylan. You always have a choice...even if it’s death. Forget your own life...are you willing to let Alexa die?”

  “I’m not convinced she will. Many women have entered Aionios’ temple...returning safely.”

  “You fail to hear my words! This time is different! He won’t stop until she’s pregnant. She won’t get pregnant. She’ll die from pure exhaustion.”

  “How do you know she won’t conceive?”

  “Because around here...oral sex is what’s truly worshipped. These pathetic men tell me things Aionios doesn’t even know. Alexa’s womb is protected by birth control.”

  Dylan thought hard, fighting a hazy mind. It suddenly occurred to him. “The female vitamin shots?”

  “Correct. I receive them too.”

  “Is everything a lie around here?”

  “Everything but me.”

  A look of true disappointment filled Mr. Hunter’s face. “I have no proof of your words. I have proof of Aionios’ powers. My eyes have never lied to me.”

  “You were hallucinating. You wanted to believe in something bigger than yourself...playing into their hands.”

  Anger pained his face. “Yes, I did.”

  “You still want that...they still fool you. Put that faith in me.”

  “No. There’s only so many times faith can be broken. I can’t fail myself again.”

  “Slay Aionios...and we can be that something together. We can rule this place as a couple.”

  “I want my wife back...not a king’s crown.”

  Eden looked away. “She’ll live amongst the others...in bliss. Your marriage was dissolved when you entered those gates. After killing Aionios...the citizens here will naturally shift their loyalty to you. A transference of power.”

  “How do you know I won’t kill you too?” he asked.

  She leaned into him, kissing his lips again. The soft pillows tingled his mouth. His eyes closed, as he drifted back into her prison of lust. “That’s how,” she proclaimed.

  He slowly broke her spell again. “I don’t trust you,” he accused.

  “We must trust each other...we’re all we have. You’ve already defied Aionios by coming here. I can have you executed. Yet, you know you’re safe with me.”

  “I know nothing. Tell me...why can’t you kill him yourself? Why must I be a scapegoat? You share meals with the man...a sexual bed. You can rule this place alone.”

  “The temple guards watch me closer than anyone.”

  “And they wouldn’t watch me? Who am I to them? Do I break into the temple...kill him with my bare hands? Those masked freaks will end me.”

  “Not if you’re one of them.”

  He paused in shock. “Impossible.”

  “A guard comes to escort me to the temple...every day. You’ll share my bed, kill the guard. Cloak yourself in his robe...his mask. We’ll enter together...you can strike Aionios from behind. Remove his beating heart...toss it to the masses. They’ll see his humanity...rejecting him! They’ll worship you!”

  The thought of such power intrigued Dylan, though he forced it away. He reminded himself, Absolute power...corrupts absolutely. “This is crazy talk. I don’t know who to believe. I can’t tell what’s real or fake anymore.”

  “Listen to your mind. Let your inner-strength guide you.”

  “I saw Aionios...the horns...beaming light!”

  “You must believe me! I was beside him! There were no horns. It was Paradox!”

  “Did I hallucinate stoning that man?”

  “No. There’s only one way to atone for it. Slay Aionios!”

  “You can’t have it both ways. I either hallucinated both...or neither one! You’re lying! You’re just trying to trick me into your dirty work. It’s a ticket out of certain death.”

  “Dylan, you’re the one lying to yourself. If you don’t face the truth...we all face such a fate!”

  “Maybe it’s what I want! Maybe I’m tired of being disappointed, hopeless. Back home...there was nothing to live for. Here...maybe there’s something to die for!”

  The look of disgust crossed Eden’s face. “Then perhaps I judged you wrong. Perhaps...you’re just as weak and pathetic as the others here. Waiting to die like lambs to slaughter.”

  He paused, looking equally as disgusted with himself. “Maybe you did. May I go now...or are you gonna report me?”

  “I’m not.”

  “Why? I can report your blasphemy just as easily.”

  “But you won’t...because I intrigue you. You won’t...because you want me, desire me. You won’t...because when Alexa dies...I’ll be all you have left.”

  “She’ll come back to me...alive and well.”

  “And what will you do then?”

  “I’ll impregnate her myself...with permission. The absence will be good for me. I think I’m ready to grant Alexa’s wish.”

  “Dylan...fathering a child...does not make you a father. It’ll be taken away.”

  “It’ll be educated in the ways of Aionios,” he forced himself to recite. “Then it’ll be returned.”

  “That’s what they tell you...even though you see no children around. You see no parents around either. Wake up, you fool!”

  “Then tell me...where do they go?”

  She paused in vulnerability, clearly unsure herself. “Go to the worship center...the one with the lock and chains.”

  “The education wing?” he asked, remembering the sign clearly.

  “Correct. Break in...see for yourself.”

  “You don’t know,” he stated as fact. “You’re as clueless as I am.”

  “I know that once they go in...they never come out.”

  At that moment, Dylan stopped listening. He backed away, keeping an untrusting eye upon Eden.

  “You’ll return to me,” she said, unleashing her
wicked smile. The snake began roving her body again. “I’ll be here...awaiting your decision. Hopefully...it won’t be too late for us both.”

  Dylan reached the door, exiting Eden’s lair. He didn’t look back.

  *****

  Gunner was led through the dark western jungle, still shaken from nearly being eaten. However, one thing remained more important. “My wife! Help me save my wife!”

  “Quiet!” the gray haired man whispered. His command was followed by a distant set of hellish squeals. Louder and angrier than before, it appeared the cannibals found their smashed brethren. Gunner didn’t have to be warned twice.

  Returning to the western shoreline, they arrived at another set of caves. The massive rock mounds were distant from the savages’ dwellings. Mr. Smith was glad for that fact.

  Led by the three robed men, Gunner believed they’d return him to the colony. Awaiting execution, he made a final plea. “I don’t give a piss if you whack me...please, just save my wife. Back in Wales...we’ve got money...pounds of it. She comes from pedigree...horses and shite. I’ll get it all, if you just help me escape!” he begged.

  At the cave’s entrance, the gray haired man turned towards Mr. Smith. “Relax, kid. We’ve already helped you escape,” he said in a southern drawl. A large rock was moved, unleashing a warm stream of light. The three robed men entered, as the elder asked, “You coming, kid? Or would you like to go back to the natives? They’ll gladly have you for dinner.”

  “I’ll pass,” Smith said, entering the cavern. The bright glow tinted the walls orange, highlighting impressive rock carvings. Flaming torches burned everywhere, vented from high fissures in the roof.

  Rows of individual homes were chiseled from craggy red clay, contrasting the colony’s shared commune. The structures were fitted with a waste disposal hole and isolated water source. Everything was made naturally, including tables, utensils, and beds. Each person was responsible for their own fate.

  A flowing stream was redirected into each house, its source deep inside the earth. Its flow ended in a large bathing pool. Fire pits roasted multiple meats. A few boars were spun on a spit, along with a few other items. One particular sight caught Smith’s eye.

  “Is that a bat?” Gunner asked.

  “Looks like bat...we prefer to call it blind chicken,” the gray haired man said. “Taste’s like chicken, at least.”

  Taking an impressed gaze around, Gunner asked, “You blokes do all this yourselves?”

  “I started it...though many hands finished it. I’ll be damned if it ain’t here after me.” He held out his hand to Gunner. “Name’s Johnny Rudder...call me Rudd.”

  Smith returned the greeting, “Gunner Smith.”

  Rudd’s two companions lowered their hoods. Gunner immediately tightened his fists, launching into a fighting stance. The black man in front of him was no stranger. “Aionios! A god or not...I’ll tear you a new arsehole!”

  After a few moments of study, Mr. Smith paused. Letting down his guard, confusion painted his face. Aionios had older features, grayed goatee. His Nigerian accent was the same. “You’re only partially wrong, mister. I am Aionios...just not the one you want to re-plumb.”

  “For fuck’s sake...I’m losing me mind here! I think that drug’s turned my head to shite.”

  Rudd laughed. “Don’t worry, kid. You’ll unlearn everything you learned over there. It’s all a crock of crap...or whatever you just called it.”

  “If he isn’t the arse I wanna kick...then whose arse is he?” Gunner asked.

  “The original Aionios,” the dark skinned man said. “I was hired to play a role...turned out to be much more.”

  “How many were there?” Gunner questioned.

  Rudd answered. “I reckon...five? Six? We don’t really know. They change ‘em out every so often. Keeps them ageless...and humble. Well, as humble as a slit throat can make a man.”

  It suddenly hit Gunner, “The black and white pictures on the worship wall. Immortal bastard...my arse!”

  “That was quite a revelation to me too,” the original Aionios said. “People believed me as reality, I went along. It didn’t exactly hurt my ego.”

  Rudd chimed in, “Most of us came here empty, needing a miracle. A shrink promised us eternity. I bought it, until I turned 50. That’s when I was...taken to the next level.”

  “A muddy hole in the ground,” Gunner proclaimed, slowly figuring it out. “Why 50?”

  “It’s the age you take...more than you give,” the original Aionios said.

  “Give what?” Gunner asked.

  “Everything,” the dark man answered.

  “How’d you blokes escape?” Smith continued.

  “I was taken to the hole,” Johnny Rudder recited. “On my knees...had a knife to my throat. One of those guards dropped his weapon. I head-butted him, took the knife in my teeth, plunged the other’s stomach. Searching the fence for a flaw, I found one. The robes came from a few escaped guards.”

  “You’re a feisty old bastard,” Gunner declared.

  “I was in my prime,” Rudd said. “A long ways from the old man in front of you.”

  “The way you kicked arse out there...I’d say you got some prime left.”

  A serious look crossed Rudd’s face. “On this island...every day’s a matter of survival. The colony doesn’t offer neutrality. You stand with us...or them. Good or evil.”

  “Us?” Gunner asked.

  Rudd unleashed a loud whistle, shouting, “Come on out.” Thirty people exited the hidden crevices and homes. They had either escaped death or defected from the guard. Each possessed sharpened rock weapons. “This is everyone...who escaped or we saved.”

  “Speaking of saviors...I need your help. Save my wife!” Gunner begged.

  “Sorry, kid...that was years ago. We retired when the colony hunts began. We struck an unspoken alliance with the skin-suckers.”

  “Are you mad? What kind of ally chews your cock off?”

  “The kind that keep the colony away. With no weapons to defend ourselves, we had to disappear. The cannibals possess the element of surprise.”

  “How so?”

  “This island is one big lava spill. Under our feet...miles of old lava tubes run. If you know the way, you could appear from anywhere. We keep them away from here...leave them be otherwise.”

  “So that’s it? I’m on my own? No help for a fellow rebel?”

  “As I said...we already helped. You’re alive because of us. Killing those chompers only hurts our cause. Angering them only brings out their hunger.”

  “Come on...Rudd. My wife’s innocent!”

  “Kid...so is everyone in that mass grave. We’ve all lost wives...husbands, friends. This is where we live now...it’s where we’ll die. You’re welcome to join us...or take your chances out there.”

  “What was all that shite about good and evil? Good men don’t sit on their arses...as innocents get murdered! Sounds like indifference to me. Damn Yanks...now I know how Churchill felt!”

  Rudd looked away, walking toward a fire spit. “We’ve done all we can.”

  “Well...I’m gonna save her! The rest of you cowards can feck off!” Gunner shouted, turning to exit the cave.

  “You may wanna wait till morning. The native’s dinner time may be over...but dessert just started,” Rudd said, slicing a clump of sizzling meat. He held it outward in offering. “Bat?”

  Gunner paused at the exit. Slowly turning around, he humbly joined the group. Eating the bat, he said, “No shite...It really tastes like blind chicken.”

  *****

  Seeded every hour of the night, Alexa Hunter’s voluptuous body quivered in exhaustion. Her back was caked with overlapped candle wax, ceremoniously stung with the infinity sign. It was so thoroughly embedded in her skin, she’d permanently wear the colony’s mark.

  Chained to the X-shaped table, her body remained tilted. Aionios thick seed seeped into her womb. His spunk was so potent, only the birth control hormone could s
top his prophecy. However, that defense would end soon. If she didn’t receive the shot in two weeks, all bets were off. Dr. Freedmen wasn’t going to let it expire. Aionios had other plans.

  With each passing hour, Alexa got weaker. “Water,” she begged. A red robed guard entered the circle of candles, holding a chalice to her mouth. Smelling the paradox drugged wine, Mrs. Hunter yanked her head away. Her mouth was forced open, the brew poured in. The moment it hit her tongue, her protests faded to unquenchable thirst. From that moment on, she was captive to controlled desire.

  Alexa sucked the sweet wine, making love to the metallic cup. Drinking in a tilted position wasn’t easy, though nothing would stop her from the reward. After each measured feeding, Aionios returned to his rightful place.

  As the wee hours of morning crept closer, the blond bombshell began tingling, hallucinating. Aionios’ ebony flesh melded with her ivory skin. Even after the deity completed each session, Alexa still felt the massive invader inside.

  To her eyes, the candle’s glow became brighter. Flickering flames drifted into smoky ghosts. As the robed guards checked her pupil dilation, their featureless masks came to life. Phantom smiles formed, creepy plastic became skin.

  After multiple cups of the drugged drink, Alexa’s requests changed. “Seed!” she desperately begged, craving the elixir of life. Granting her wish, Aionios aimed his strained 12-inch blackness into her creamy abyss.

  In Mrs. Hunter’s altered state, the two lovers levitated in air. With every inward thrust, body was transcended, soul penetrated. The man redesigned her vaginal canal, ruining her for all others. Alexa’s red velvet was stretched to fit Aionios’ scepter. With each new white load deposited, soreness was soothed by satisfaction.

  Ambient dawn light struck the room, blinding the woman’s oversensitive eyes. Aionios approached the temple balcony, heading towards his morning worship. Alexa was surprised by a spectator. Eden leaned in, checking the captive’s eyes and overall health. The curvy brunette goddess whispered, “You must stay alive! Do you understand me? Dylan’s my one ticket out of here. Nod if you understand.”