> ?
>
> Darkness. That was what greeted Carol when her consciousness returned. The last thing she remembered was someone planting the barrel of a gun to the side of her head, getting ready to execute her. Before Carol could even begin to beg for her life, the ground gave way and she was spirited away by that monster. The stifling darkness overwhelmed her, and Carol's mind plunged into an empty void. The next thing she knew was waking up, her lips cracked from thirst and body completely aching.
>
> And her baby completely missing.
>
> Panic seizing her, Carol tosses wildly about, looking in vain for the baby. There's a painful yank as handcuffs dig into her wrists and Carol immediately settles down, her mind clearing rapidly. She was still in grave danger and losing her cool would not help. Calming her palpitating heart, Carol begins to take stock of her situation.
>
> Someone had tossed her on a hard cot with both her hands and legs cuffed to the cot's frame. From the dim outlines Carol's eyes could make out, she was in a small unfurnished room, the only thing of interest being the window located by the side of the bed. With a grunt of exertion, Carol begins to pull herself up as far as the cuffs binding her will allow. Its not much, but just barely enough for her to peek out of the window if she stretches her neck.
>
> And what she sees take her breath completely away.
>
> She was in a small American town framed by the night sky. Not the virus waste. Not some shanty ruled by an unhinged warlord. Not an overcrowded refugee camp. But a small American town that actually seemed to be functioning. The broad roads were tarred and looked well maintained, like they were supposed to be. The house Carol was being held captive in was part of a larger neighborhood and as she squinted out the window, Carol saw people walking about outside without a care in the world. People who were clean, well dressed and not armed to the teeth. But there was something bugging Carol about the townsfolk, something that she could not put her finger on but yet felt incredibly wrong.
>
> With a groan of exhaustion, Carol slumps back on to the cot. Her wrists and ankles felt raw with the cuffs constantly chafing against them. Gritting her teeth, Carol musters her strength once again and lifts herself up again as far as she is able. As she silently continues to observe from the edge of the window, a flash of insight hits her all at once.
>
> None of the people Carol saw had the hunted look in their eyes that had become so common in the Virus Waste. You got it naturally after spending some time on the lookout for bandits, Herd or the various other assorted nasties that prowled the Virus Waste. Everyone in this small town looked, for no better word to call it, soft. As if they had never experienced the Great Collapse. The people living in this town knew they were safe in a world where such a thing did not exist.
>
> Carol's captors had not bothered to gag her mouth. Why? She recalled with a shudder the confidence the monster had when confronting her. Carol might be no match for the beast, but she might still be able to take advantage of it's moment of carelessness.
>
> "HELP!" Carol yells at the top of her voice. Pulling herself up again, she watches in shock as not a single person responds to her cry.
>
> "SOMEONE, HELP!" Carol shouts again, this time even louder. And once again, there is no response. In fact, it now becomes clear that the townsfolk are deliberately ignoring her. People turn their faces away and scurry off into the distance.
>
> Fear grips Carol's heart. Everyone in this town was allied with the beast. That's why it did not bother gagging her. No one was coming to save Carol. The panic that she had been holding back explodes outward again and lurid thoughts overwhelm Carol's mind. What was going to happen to her?
>
> And more importantly, where was her baby?
>
> With a creak, the door to the room opens and a pair of fully robed figures wearing long beaked plague masks step in.
>
> "Get away from me!" Carol screams in blind fear as she recognizes the servants of the beast. They had attempted to storm the manor of King Edward back in Vermont in an attempt to kidnap her but were foiled by the Edward's militia. But there was no militia to protect Carol now.
>
> Carol never thought that she would one day actually miss the man who had attempted to possess her by force.
>
> "Noisy." one of the priests grunts and fishes out a roughly made sack from his robes.
>
> Without any further ado, the sack is place over Carol's head and is fastened securely with a pull of its drawstring. Suffocating darkness once more descends on Carol and she begins to struggle frantically. Strong hands hold her down and with the jangle of keys the cold metal cuffs holding Carol fast fall away. The distraught woman is abruptly pulled to her feet with both arms secured behind her back.
>
> "It is time." that same voice again, "Great Xir is ready to welcome her."
>
> "The house up on the hill then?" a woman's voice, probably the other priest, responds.
>
> "Yes." her partner confirms, "Is there any other place the sacrifices are taken?"
>
> "NO! NO!" Carol struggles but is pulled along by the pair of priests. Completely blind, she stumbles in the direction the priests are leading her, the sound of their footsteps echoing throughout the empty house. Cool night breeze brushes Carol's clothes, a welcome relief to the stifling heat she was experiencing earlier.
>
> Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
>
>
> "Where are you taking me?" Carol demands as she realizes that they have left the house behind them, "Where is my baby?"
>
> There is no response from her captors, only the sound of additional footsteps drawing closer.
>
> "Brethren." the priest gripping Carol's arms says simply. More priests in their robes and masks emerge from the darkness, falling in with the pair escorting Carol. The group makes a solemn procession, walking in silence except for the muffled cries from their unwilling guest.
>
> The ground begins to slope upward and soon Carol is panting for breath. The group presses on, an additional pair of priests gripping Carol by the armpits to physically haul her toward their destination. The female (?) priest leading the group pauses as they reach the door of the house on the hill and clasps her hands together.
>
> "Come, Great Xir awaits." the priestess (?) says worshipfully.
>
> Carol is led inside and forced to her knees, assuming the position of her penitent. In the background she hears the sound of floorboards being lifted.
>
> "Mortal eyes may not witness the true glory of Great Xir." the priestess says to a low murmur of approval from her fellows.
>
> "Open it." the other priests drone in unison.
>
> Carol's head suddenly spins, as if she was struck by a spell of vertigo despite the sack placed over her head. As she struggles to keep her wits about her, Carol notices a warm damp begin to settle over her. The hard floor boards she had been kneeling on had also acquired a soft, almost loamy texture, causing her knees to begin to sink.
>
> "WOMAN." a voice booms from all around Carol, "DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU ARE?"
>
> Carol makes an incoherent howl of rage and attempts to get back to her feet, but the priests hold her fast.
>
> "You won't get away with this!" Carol yells defiantly into the darkness, "There is a God in this world!"
>
> "AMUSING." Xir booms back, "DO YOU WANT TO KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT THE LAMB GOD?"
>
> "You're a liar!" Carol shouts as the ground continues to sink around her.
>
> "NO. THE TRUE LIAR IS THE LAMB GOD." Xir scoffs smugly, "HE WAS ONCE PART OF SOMETHING GREATER, SOMETHING PERFECT. THEN FROM A PERFECT WHOLE, HE BECAME A THIRD."
>
> There's a wet sucking sound and Carol feels the soil voraciously pulling at her.
>
> "THE LAMB GOD GAVE UP HIS PERFECTION TO LEAD THE PEOPLE HE CRIPPLED. BUT SOMETHING THAT IS IMPERFECT IS BY NATURE LIMITED. FINITE."
>
> The priests release their grip in Carol, letting her sink like a stone into the soft mud.
>
> "THE ENDLESS TIME OF PERFECTION WAS LOST TO THE LAMB GOD. HE TRIED TO OPEN A WAY BACK TO BARBELO, THE SANCTURARY BEYOND THE STARS, BUT REALIZED HE WOULD NOT SURVIVE THE JOURNEY."
>
> Carol struggles, but its no use. The ground had become an insatiable maw.
>
> "SO THE LAMB GOD LIED. HE LIED TO THE FOOLS WHOM HE HAD CRIPPLED. THE LAMB GOD SPOKE OF THE LAND OF SALVATION, WHERE HE WOULD PRESERVE EVERYONE IN FLESH IMMORTAL."
>
> The wet mud now reaches Carol's waist. And she continues to sink.
>
> "BUT WITHOUT THE ENDLESS TIME OF PERFECTION, HOW WOULD THE LAMB GOD ACCOMPLISH THIS?"
>
> "I ... I ... don't ..." Carol gasps.
>
> "YOU ALREADY KNOW THE ANSWER WOMAN. SAY IT."
>
> "Its impossible!" Carol denies, the horror of what Xir is implying too much for her.
>
> "DEATH. THE CRIPPLED WOULD JOIN THE LAMB GOD IN THE ETERNITY OF DEATH. OBLIVION WAS THE SALVATION HE OFFERED."
>
> "But what about the imm -" Carol protests, but Xir interrupts.
>
> "YES. THE FLESH IMMORTAL. TELL ME WOMAN. CAN MATTER BE DESTROYED? WHEN A BODY DECAYS, IS IT COMPLETELY OBLITERATED? OR DOES IT MERELY BECOME SOMETHING ELSE?"
>
> "No." Carol whispers.
>
> "YES. THAT WAS THE FINAL DECEPTION PLANNED BY THE LAMB GOD. THE CRIPPLED LIVE ON THE BODY OF THE LAMB GOD. THEY DIE AND BECOME PART OF HIM FOREVER. THAT IS THE TRUE NATURE OF THE LAMB GOD'S SALVATION."
>
> The mud closes in on Carol's neck like a noose.
>
> "THAT IS WHY THE LAMB GOD CANNOT PROTECT THE CRIPPLED FROM THE VIRUS. THE VIRUS IS MERELY SPEEDING YOUR PATH TO THE LAMB GOD'S EMBRACE. AND WHEN THE LAMB GOD FINALLY EXPIRES, THERE WILL BE NOTHING LEFT EXCEPT HIS CARCASS."
>
> Carol opens her mouth to speak, but the rancid mud begins to seep through the sack, filling her mouth.
>
> "NOTHING EXCEPT GREAT XIR OF COURSE. THE ENDLESS TIME OF PERFECTION IS STILL MINE TO WIELD. FROM THE CARCASS OF THE LAMB GOD A TRUE PARADISE WILL BE FORMED. CREATED FOR THE PERFECT BY THE PERFECT."
>
> "Great Xir! Great Xir! Great Xir!" shout the priests surrounding Carol.
>
> "AND THE CRIPPLED, WHO HAD BEEN SPLIT INTO TWO, SHALL BECOME ONE AGAIN. PERFECT, LIKE GREAT XIR. EXISTING IN ENDLESS TIME."
>
> "Great Xir, save us!" the priestess shouts in ecstasy somewhere in the darkness.
>
> "BE PROUD WOMAN. YOU HAVE A ROLE TO PLAY AS A FOUNDATION OF THIS PARADISE."
>
> Carol spits the mud out of her mouth and takes a deep breath, mustering the tiny amount of strength she has left.
>
> "You are not perfect!" Carol barks, a lone voice fighting against the horde. Even with the sack over her head, Carol's voice is strong and proud. A hush falls over the priests.
>
> "WE SHALL SEE WOMAN."
>
> With a final tug, the mud pulls Carol completely under, as it pours into her through every available orifice.
>
> "WE SHALL SEE."
>