The Book of Enoch

Chapter 16 – Dark Heat

Beth LaHeron had a wide, child-like smile as the waitress set their respective lunches down on the table.

“Anything else I can get for you?” Asked a bubbly, grey-streaked brunette wearing an apron. Her name tag read, “HOPE”.

“I think we’re good, thank you,” she answered. “Though we may want dessert later.”

Hope looked suddenly excited. “The pies are really good this time of year,” she explained, happily. “The dutch apple is excellent, as is the peach. Most people come through for the cherry, you know, so Miss Kingly puts a little more love into the less favored selections, if you know what I mean.”

“They all sound wonderful to me.”

“Well, I’ll let you two have at it. Just give me a yell if you need anything, dear.”

Sighing, Beth licked her lips when they were alone once again, and reached for the large cheeseburger that was snuggled amid a fallen forest of thick french fries. The Professor had a Philly steak sandwich and an iced tea.

“I take it there were no messages from your partner?” He asked, as he seized his own lunch.

She shook her head, but had to wait until her mouth was clear before she could respond. “No, but I wasn’t expecting any. Not yet. I can check my email when we find an internet connection. What about Kimi?”

“I wasn’t able to get through on the phone here. Local calls only. We can try again when we find a place to stay the night.”

Beth doused her fries with ketchup and then took a slurp from her strawberry milkshake. “So, Professor, I’ve been wondering… You mentioned that the demons were really fast. So why not just fly or dimensionally shift or whatever it is they do instead of taking on slow human bodies to travel?”

He had to clear his own mouth. “I have a theory…” He answered hesitantly. “But it is pretty heavily conjecture.”

She waved a fry in the air. “Beats nothing, and I suspect that your conjectures are better than most people’s facts.”

“Harrumph! There is the possibility that whatever means the Watchers have for finding the Lock requires a human body.”

“What, they’re using us like a compass or something?” She took another bite from her burger.

“Perhaps. It might be that simple. You should also remember that demons would almost certainly travel only at night, even in corporal form, maybe especially so. Though I seriously doubt they could travel far in the body of a human.”

“Why’s that?”

“How would they do it?”

She thought for a second. “Couldn’t they steal a car or something?”

“Steal it, yes. Drive it, no.”

Beth was surprised. “Wait, so even though they’re technically advanced beings, and immortal, they can’t learn to drive?”

“While the physical and mental skills needed to drive a vehicle would be available to them from their host, the standard reactions and subtle learned behaviors would not. It would be like you, reading the manual to operate a fighter jet, then hopping into the cockpit and expecting to be able to fly. They just don’t react to things the same way that we do. Where you would instinctively slam on the brakes to avoid hitting a child that had run into the street in front of you, a demon would not. They might run them down just for the emotional experience.”

“Man, that’s twisted.”

“Indeed. There is another possibility…”

“Other than driving?”

He nodded. “Yes. They could be taking public transportation.”

“You mean, like a bus?”

He nodded and took a large bite of his steak sandwich. Beth just sat there looking confused. Finally, she shook her head.

“So let me get this straight… An unknown number of demons are waiting for nightfall, buying tickets, then hoping on the night bus and slowly making their way northeast? That’s insane!”

“There’d be little to tip anyone off, if they were careful.”

“Wow. Can you imagine having to sit next to one of those monsters?! Not exactly what I’m looking for in stimulating conversation.”

The Professor frowned. “I would rather not consider the possibility.”

She shivered. “So, taking over the physical body of a human takes energy… Does that mean that taking on… other physical forms, like that one did the night you rescued me… Do these forms take even more energy to maintain?”

Professor Manatee set down his sandwich slowly and sighed. When he spoke it was with a certain sadness. “Beth, the physical laws that apply to demons are different than those that apply to us. Energy comes to them differently. When in the body of a human, they are restricted by the laws of that body, but on their own, they have nearly unlimited powers at their disposal. It has more to do with restrictions placed on them.”

“Such as that whole ‘permission’ thing they did with me, tricking me into allowing them… access to me?”

“That’s right. They cannot take on physical forms here in our world without permission from a human, and even then, that form will only be corporal for the one allowing it. They can influence other things, such as the elements, as you have seen, but they are forbidden to touch human flesh on their own unless we grant it to them.”

Beth blew out through her mouth as though letting go of a great stress. “Well, I sure won’t make that mistake a second time. I’m never going to ‘grant them access’ ever again… What?” She asked when she saw Manatee’s face. “Oh, don’t even tell me that the permission is permanent!”

“Not permanent, but not situational either. I’m so sorry, but you are still vulnerable.”

“Shit…” She whispered. “So those things could come back right now in physical form and… and… attack me?!”

“Well, they would still be susceptible to wards and protections, but I am afraid so.”

“For how long?!”

“The next full moon.” He said simply.

“Oh hell…” She replied, her shoulders slumping, as though the weight of everything she had gone through was suddenly too much to bear. “That’s still like, what, about a week from now?”

“Eight days.”

“Damnit, Alvin, why didn’t you tell me?”

He looked slightly guilty. “Would it have helped?”

She thought about it. “No, I suppose not, but still!”

“I’m truly sorry, Beth,” he said, his eyes looking teary. “You were under so much stress and fear already. I honestly did not know if you could bear such knowledge. I had hoped to wait out the last few days in the loft, where I knew you would be safe. I always intended to tell you, just… after you were out of danger. Please… Forgive me.”

She sighed and reached across the table for his hand. Nodding, she held his large fingers in hers, somewhat surprised by their rough texture. “Of course. And you’re right, I wouldn’t have been able to take that a few days ago. I’m going to have to trust you, and that’s something I don’t like to do naturally. I’m very independent.”

“I’ve noticed.”

They both smiled, the tension lessening.

“Oh, where did Hope run off to?” She mentioned, looking around the restaurant. “I could really go for some pie right about now.”

—

Finding an internet connection turned out to be much more difficult than locating a place to stay, especially since they agreed it would be better to remain out of the town proper. Beth was frustrated to have to pass up some beautiful bed and breakfast houses and settle for a Motel 6 off the highway.

“How do they survive without the internet?!” She exclaimed, hours later, as they gathered their bags and headed for the office. They’d spent the entire afternoon searching for a lodging that had even basic WiFi. “God, look at this place,” she added, waving her hand at the dilapidated motel. “Why is it always the cheesy joints that have internet and free HBO?”

Professor Manatee was nervously glancing at the darkening sky as he took up several bags. It wasn’t quite sunset yet, but heavy rainclouds had settled into the area not long after their lunch. “I think we were pretty lucky to find one at all,” he agreed. “We should get a room and go inside. I don’t like the look of that sky.” After a moment’s consideration, he set down his bags and closed the roof of the convertible.

The ‘office’ was little more than a window with an open slot at the bottom. The whole thing looked as though it’d been built in the sixties, including the greasy-faced man on the other side of the grime-coated glass.

“We need a room for the night,” said the Professor into the round and rusty mesh set into the middle of the window. “A twin room, two beds, please.”

“Only doubles,” replied the man in a slow, gravely voice.

Alvin looked frustrated. “You have no twins at all?”

“Only doubles,” he repeated. The man looked like he had been sitting there for years without getting up.

The Professor turned to Beth. “It’s up to you, but I don’t like the idea of traveling after dark.”

“Like you said, we were lucky to find this place.”

“We’ll take it. And internet as well, please…” He handed the man a credit card. A few minutes later they had a key and a little card showing them how to access the WiFi. It started raining while they were still looking for the room.

“Over here,” said Beth, ducking under the overhang of the building. Number seven…”

“Let me go in first,” exclaimed Manatee, inserting their key.

Beth set down her bag and reached into her coat. “I’ve got a better idea,” she replied, holding her gun up. “The first two rounds are ‘Homers’. She was smiling. “We go together.”

“We don’t even know for sure that they’ll work, Detective…”

“Yeah, so? Don’t you trust your own work?”

“Harrumph! Fine. Together then.” He turned the knob and let the door swing open. Then, reaching into his own coat pocket he withdrew a small black sphere, which he tossed into the doorway as he reached for the light.

“Well, it’s not much, but then again, it’s dry.” She commented as they checked the bathroom and closet together. Beth noticed the little spider-like mechanical clicking about and almost felt warmed. It was nice to know that there was a watchdog of sorts on patrol, even one that looked like a giant black widow.

With their coats hanging on the back of the door, the Professor set to work protecting the room. Beth watched with curious fascination, seated in the rickety metal chair by the desk, as he placed small objects in each corner. He then took out something that looked like a pencil, only fatter, and did a trick with his glasses that caused them to go completely dark, like sunshades. Stepping up to each wall, he carefully started scribbling. To her surprise, she saw nothing when the man stepped away again and started on the next wall.

“More invisible ink, Alvin?” He turned to her, his eyes completely hidden behind the inky black of his glasses. “On second thought, don’t want to know. Please continue.”

The man turned back to the wall. Only when he had visited every surface, including the bathroom, did he put away the funny marker and return his glasses to their normal state.

“Much better,” he commented, taking a deep breath and settling himself into the single fifties style tub chair in the corner of the room. It made a terrible creaking sound which caused his eyes to widen in a way that made Beth giggle. There was a peal of thunder in the distance.

“Just in time, I’d say. Do you think the car will be okay? It’s really coming down out there.”

“Well, I honestly have no way to know. It’s never been in the rain before. I think so.”

She fanned herself. “Plenty warm in here though… Do you think we could open a window?”

Manatee frowned. “Um… That might not be a good idea. I can’t put a ward on it open. Do you think you can stand to keep it closed?”

“Given the alternative, you bet! But, it’s going to get pretty muggy in here after I’ve had a shower. We’ve been driving around in this heat all day, and I smell like a high school gym locker room.”

“I hadn’t noticed.”

“That’s because you’re a gentleman, but I certainly notice it, and a chance at a nice hot rinsing should never be squandered.”

He smiled. “I think you and Kimi would get along well. She once told me that she could be bribed with a hot bath.”

“Oh yes! Not that I’d want to take a bath here…” she replied, noticing a patch of wallpaper that had come loose from the wall and was hanging over on itself. “A shower will have to do. In fact, there’s no point in sweating in these clothes any longer…”

Secretly, Beth enjoyed the slightly panicked look on the Professor’s face as she stood up. She paused a moment, smiling, before reaching for her bag and heading for the bathroom.

“I doubt that this dive allows long-distance calls, especially overseas, but you’re welcome to use my cell phone to call your sister if you like,” she stated at the door.

“Thank you, Detective. I was thinking of breaking out the laptop first. It may be more important to get that connection up and running.”

“Suit yourself. I’m off to get CLEAN!”

Ten minutes later, the Professor was seriously considering ways they might be able to ward an open window. The tiny room had quickly gone from merely humid, to downright uncomfortable. He has literally dripping with sweat. To make matters worse, the laptop was still having trouble connecting despite his following the directions to the letter. He sighed heavily and resigned himself to explaining his failure.

Beth opened the door wearing her bathrobe and a towel on her head. A second later she frowned.

“I wouldn’t have believed it possible, but I think it’s actually more humid out here than it is in there.” She jabbed her thumb at the bathroom. “Is it still raining?”

“Outside and in, it would seem,” he said, looking down at his drenched clothing. “It would also seem that I lack the proficiency needed to activate our internet connection…”

She made a sad puppy-dog face. “Aw. It’s not your fault, Alvin. These places are always finicky. Take it from someone who’s spent more than their fair share of nights alone in a hotel room.”

“I feel useless!”

“Oh my, you are upset. Okay, let’s take a look…” She came over to stand behind the man at the desk. “You followed the card?”

“Several times.” He demonstrated.

“Hmm… let me try something,” she said, leaning forward so she could reach the keyboard. She smiled slightly, knowing that her robe would be falling open. “Uh… yup, I thought so. You’re off the hook. The problem is back at the office, not here. You did everything spot on.”

He leaned back and sighed. “Well, that’s a bit of a relief, but… we still don’t have access to the net.”

There was a flash of lightning, and a second later the crack and rumble of thunder.

“That was pretty close…” she said. “I wonder if the storm could be affecting things? Either way, the next step is to talk to the hotel clerk. At the very least we should get our money back.”

“Right. Okay, I’ll go see if there’s anything he can do.” The Professor stood and reached for his raincoat. “Stay put. I’ll be right back.” Opening the door revealed a heavy downpour and he flipped up his collar.

“Hey, pick up some ice while you’re out there… in lieu of the windows we can’t open.” She tossed him a plastic bucket that was sitting on one of the night stands.

“Will do.” The door closed with a thunk.

—

Professor Manatee skipped around several large puddles toward the front office. Even with the rain pouring down, the heat was still palatable, and he could feel himself continuing to sweat under the raincoat. It was an irony to wear something to keep you dry, only to find yourself drenched anyway. There was another bright flash, and this time he saw the bolt out of the corner of his eye. The thunder followed almost at once.

At the office window, the old man’s face was illuminated blue by the flickering screen of a television. He looked dead.

“Hey there, good sir. It seems the instructions you gave me to access the internet are not working. Is there any chance something could be down?”

After several seconds the man’s eyes shifted to look at him. “The storm sometimes knocks out the cable,” he said slowly. “I’ll reset it.” He started to rise, an effort that Manatee could see might take a while in itself.

“Thank you, it’s much appreciated. Uh, is there an ice machine?” Asked the Professor after a moment.

“Round the corner… end of the hall,” the man replied.

“Right.”

Bucket in hand, Alvin followed that man’s directions into the hotel proper. The inside rooms had access through the long hallway he had mentioned, and as promised, there was a humming ice machine at the very end. It wasn’t until he was standing in front of the large machine that he began to feel like something was wrong. Slowly, he turned around and stared back down the hall. There was nothing there, but he couldn’t shake that he had somehow missed something. Rubbing his chin, he considered going back at once, but he was here, he might as well take ten-seconds and fill the bucket first. Placing the container under the opening, he reached out to press and hold the single button marked “FILL”. The machine came to life and started belching ice noisily into the bucket.

CRACK! BOOM!!

A lightning bolt hit the top of the hotel, traveled down the water pipes and right into the ice machine, which exploded in a flash of light and frozen water. The Professor took most of the blast to the chest and was knocked back across the hall where he slammed into the plaster hard enough to leave an indentation before slumping to the ground like a discarded rag doll.

A few minutes later, an old man shuffled around the corner and moved to stand amid the million crescent-shaped ice cubes that had disgorged from the machine when it flew apart. He said nothing as he moved up to the unconscious body on the floor. Bending down, he started to reach for the man’s coat but stopped abruptly and pulled back as though he touched something hot. He tried several more times, with similar results, then stood, turned around, and slowly shuffled back down the hall to the office. Once there, he slipped into his chair and returned to staring at the blank blue screen of the television.

—

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Beth patiently ran her brush through her still wet hair. She was smiling, and thinking about how she had teased the Professor at the computer. As far as she could tell, he never took the opportunity to stare into her robe as many men might have. Always the gentleman. She was actually a little disappointed. Still, it was fun trying to seduce the man. She knew he had feelings for her, but something was holding him back. She had just decided that she would give him another subtle ‘hint’ about her willingness upon his return, when there was a loud crack and flash at the window. The thunder was so close that she nearly jumped half off the bed.

“Good grief!” She commented to herself and went to the window. Where was he?

“Mrrrow!”

Looking down, Beth saw a smallish cat just outside. It was wet enough that its thick fur was plastered to its shivering body, and it appeared to be limping slightly. She was at the door almost at once.

As she peered out into the night, a thick, wet heat flowed into the room, enough to cause her to wrinkle her nose. It was foul weather for humans, let alone an animal with a built-in fur coat.

“MeeeeeOW!” Blurted the cat, as it staggered back a bit upon seeing her. “Mrrrow… Mrrrrow,” it bleated pitifully, trying to decide if she was a friend.

“Oh, you poor thing! Come on… Come here…” She made little kissing sounds, which the cat seemed to ignore. It just stared at her with sad, half lidded eyes, and even moved further away.

“No, don’t go that way… Here kitty, kitty. Come on, I won’t hurt you.”

“Mrrrow… Meow.” It continued, and looked for a moment as though it might come closer. But some distant thunder caused it to drop and turn sharply. As the noise passed, it started off away from her again, this time, the limp more pronounced. Beth could clearly see that one of its back legs didn’t look right.

“Oh damn,” she muttered to herself and pulled the robe closed around her. Then, stepping from the room, she moved slowly just outside the doorway and tried to coax the animal by bending down and holding out her hand. It turned toward her, and stopped moving away, but did not approach.

“Brrrrt… mrrrow…” It called.

“It’s okay, I won’t hurt you, really,” she spoke, with a happy voice. “Don’t you want to come in where it’s dry and safe?…” The cat was moving along the building again, and in desperation, Beth took a few more small steps outside. She had just crouched down, holding out her hand a second time when she noticed that the cat was near the door of the room next to theirs. To her surprise, it was ajar and open several inches. She frowned as the cat made one more pitiful call, and then slipped inside.

“Oh,” she said, sadly. “Don’t go in there, come ba…” Rising slightly, she looked into the darkness of the room beyond and felt something in her stomach knot. A chill flowed over her as she suddenly understood what she was seeing. It was more than just dark in the neighboring room, it was utterly black. There should have at least been some illumination coming in from the window, but it was as though it were being absorbed into an inky hole. She had seen that nothingness before… in her own kitchen back in her city apartment the night that Professor Manatee first rescued her from the Watchers. She managed only a single gasp before something shot out of the doorway directly at her face.

Beth instinctively blinked and started to turn away, and in that brief moment, long flat tentacles of flesh reached to either side of her head and whipped behind her neck. The ends continued around and slapped over her chin and mouth with a wet splat. Stunned, the detective barely had time to reopen her eyes before she was jerked forward. Her form never fell to the ground, however, as a half dozen more tentacles reached out and caught her wrists, legs and waist, pulling her forward as she was lifted into the darkness in what felt like a single quick motion.

She wanted to scream, but the vile muscle over her mouth prevented anything more than a muffled moan before she was roughly spun around, blind save for the dim light from the doorway. The portal slammed shut a second later, removing even that meager illumination. Her body was lifted into the darkness, her arms raised up over her head as she twisted and thrashed uselessly against the powerful coils of muscle that continued to encircle her. She could feel herself laid back against something warm and moving. It seemed as though a thousands snakes were slowly waking from a slumber under and behind her, gradually slithering out around her torso, with only the robe to shield her. She knew what it was that held her, but her mind was far too frightened to accept it yet. And then something completely unexpected happened… It spoke to her.

<don’t resist, beth.>

“MMMPH!!” She wailed through the slippery gag, terrified of the female sounding voice that seemed to come from within her, and yet, was somehow familiar.

<you can not escape, and no one will be coming to your rescue this time.>

“MMMM!! Mnnnnuuuummmm…”

<no… we have not taken his life… yet. but he won’t be able to help you, either.>

Beth pulled at her bonds. If they had hurt him…

<you and i have much to do. i won’t heed petty, meaningless threats. perhaps if you see your situation fully, you will understand…>

Abruptly, from all around her, came a very deep red light. In her current position she could just make out some of the walls of the hotel room, and a little of the window. Some kind of living, creeping ooze covered the rest, including the door. She vaguely recognized the shape of a table and lamp beneath a slowly undulating mass of pale flesh. Directly under her was what was once the bed. Now, it was almost entirely obscured by living tissue. There was structure and muscle, as though some genetic-experiment-gone-wrong was literally gripping the mattress and covers, smothering them in sinew and skin and tendons.

Internally, she started weeping when she saw what was holding her. Looped around each leg from her ankles to above her knees were multiple long pale, squid-like tentacles. They wound around the limbs, not only binding her to the creature she was laying on, but also pulling her knees apart so that she was held open and exposed. Only the robe concealed her naked form, and even that was bunched up around her upper thighs.

Higher, several wide, flat arms of flesh reached over her middle, locking her in a slimy hug, and of course, each of her arms was shackled within a prison of tight, slick meat. Like the arms of an octopus, they twisted tighter and gripped her when she tried to escape.

She shook her head back and forth in denial, desperately willing herself to wake from the terrible, nightmarish vision.

<it’s real beth,> said the Watcher. <we need to finish what we started.>

As if on cue, she felt motion all around her, but most noticeably at her belly. The arms around her waist slipped back, and for a fleeting moment she had hope that the demon was releasing her. That hope was squashed the moment she saw the flat ends of those tentacles curl around the edges of her robe at her chest and begin to draw the garment open.

“MMMMMPHH!! NNNMMM!!” Screaming and thrashing did nothing except tire her, and her captor soon had the robe laying fully open, her bare body exposed and dripping with sweat. She heard tearing by her shoulder and looked over to see a sharp claw, neatly ripping through the fabric at her arms. She didn’t understand what it was doing until a minute later when she felt herself lifted slightly, and the garment pulled away. It apparently wanted her bare against its disgusting form, and she cringed, and tried to pull away when it first settled her back down. But she gasped at both the heat and the oily slickness that fell across her back and buttocks when her weight was once again pressing her against the creature.

Then, to her horror, the ‘lap’ of the demon seemed to give way or loosen, and her body began to slowly sink further down and back. A sudden rush of fear-induced adrenaline coursed through her as she frantically struggled to keep herself from being consumed. Dozens of thin tendrils squirmed around from behind her and slowly pulled her in, her naked flesh drawn right into what felt like the living internal organs of the Watcher, so that only her front remained visible. From her hips to her shoulders she was locked into a formfitting living mold, the edges of which were like a thousand tiny fingers that held her firmly in place.

<you escaped my spell the last time, just before I was finished,> said the voice in her head. Beth knew she had heard it before… and then she knew. It was her own voice… This sudden realization both surprised and frightened her. She expected the Watcher to be male, and the fact that it was, at least as far as the voice was concerned, coming across as female, confused her. She wasn’t even certain they had a given sex.

<… that’s somewhat unfortunate for you because you will have become quite resistant to my touch. i’m going to have to use a more… invasive means of breaking you this time around.>

“Uck muuu!” She cursed as best she could, her fear turning momentarily to anger.

<you won’t be able to resist, as i will be accessing a deeper, more instinctual part of your mind. still, i invite you to try, since i will enjoy watching you struggle.>

Fleshy paddles slipped around the sides of her head, their slick warmth cutting off most sound save for a wet slurping as a thin tendril extended from the center of each into her ear canals. She struggled for a moment against the ticklish penetration, but the grip on her head held her still until she realized there was nothing at all she could do about it. Finally, when the ends of the worm-like tendrils were both pressed firmly against her ear drums, and her ears were completely sealed off from all outside sound, the voice returned again. It was still her own, but now it was no longer coming from inside her mind. Now it was brought to her through the warm tubes that spoke directly to her ears. The voice was richer and fuller, and had an oddly seductive quality to it that was outside of the bare words.

<i only need to bring you to a single orgasm this time, but it will be unlike any you have ever experienced in the past. i‘m going to make you come so hard that it will literally rip your soul from its foundations, and allow me to take its place in your body.>

Suddenly she started to feel slick, paddle-tipped fingers sliding up around her torso and thighs. Gently, dozens of the tendrils were gradually caressing her in very sensual ways.

“Mmmm… Mmph!”

<just relax to it, beth. you can’t fight. just let it happen.>

It was teasing her, of course. The demon knew damn well she would resist. Slowly, the countless seductive fingers massaged and rubbed her, coating her body with more of the thick, oil-like slime as they went. The secretion left her skin flushed and hot, and despite herself, she found it frightfully arousing. Even before the demon had started in on her more sensitive zones, she felt herself grow wet and she groaned under her gag.

“Nnnnnnmmmm…”

In her ears, Beth started to hear a repeating double thump, very softly at first, but gradually growing more present. Like a heartbeat, the deep drum took up a fixed and ever stable beat, slow, and oddly in time with the touch of the caresses. She was just beginning to get used to the rhythm when there was a new pressure at her lips.

Beth tried to keep her mouth closed, but eventually, the flat flesh that curled around her lower face was able to wriggle a tiny tendril into her mouth. One turned to two, then four, and soon it had pried her jaw wide. She renewed her tense struggles when a larger protrusion moved inward and started to reach deeper into her mouth. Like a giant slippery tongue, it pushed in further and further until Beth was certain that she would start to gag. Then it expanded and flanged outward behind her teeth, locking itself in her maw. She could tell by using her tongue that it was a tube of some kind.

She didn’t have to wait long to find out what it was for, as she felt very moist, very warm air start to flow from the end of the protrusion. Something wasn’t right about the thick gas, which tasted like taffy on her tongue and caused her mouth to salivate, and so she concentrated, trying to breathe only through her nose. But the Watcher had other plans and suddenly she felt the soft flesh of her gag settle up over her nostrils, cutting off her air supply.

<take me in, beth… feel me flow into your body. let me fill you fully…>

She held it as long as she possibly could, but finally she had to take a breath. Now, of course, she had to draw in deeply, and the demon’s foul vapors slid down into her lungs where they settled like cement. So thick was the sweet smelling gas, that she briefly felt as though she were drowning, and unfortunately, whatever the Watcher was pumping into her went directly into her bloodstream. Almost at once, she felt her body start to grow heavy and weak, her eyes tired.

<that’s it… let it have you, beth…>

“muuuhmm…” she protested weakly, already lulled into a dazed euphoria by the powerful drugs. She tried to shake it off, but each time she took a breath she only pushed herself deeper and deeper into the befuddled state.

Although she was physically weakened, the Watcher’s intoxicating effluvium only seemed to enhance her senses rather than numb them. The caressing touch of each tiny paddle across her torso was now nearly unbearable, and her body began to squirm all on its own. In her ears, she was surprised to find that the slow heartbeat joined with another, more complicated bass drum beat at twice the speed. They were both in perfect time, and with other rising sounds, developed into a slow, highly rhythmic music or chant that seemed to vibrate her whole skull, and push down into the rest of her body.

Something told her that the music was dangerous, that she should not listen to it, but like the gas, she had no choice but let it work its way into her mind.

<are you so surprised to find that i can make music, child?>

In fact, Beth was surprised. From what the Professor had told her, the Watchers lacked the creativity needed for such an undertaking.

<it’s just something to set your pace. let it in…> It insisted.

Suddenly, and directly in time with the slow heartbeat, there was a swift stroke of the paddles over her engorged nipples and she gasped, sucking the moist fumes even deeper into her lungs. A few seconds later it happened again, then again, and again. Each time, she tensed her back and panted slightly. Over and over the touch teased her, sometimes slipping slightly to the side or varying pressure, but always right in time with the steady beat in her ears.

<that’s it… let it move you…>

Thump thump… Thump thump.

As her chest was gently tormented, there was another touch that she was starting to become aware of. Several of the long, thin tendrils were making their way down her abdomen. Her fear started to return when she felt them flow lightly over her Mons, dipping to either side of the slight mound and following down along the creases of her thighs. At first, they were moving smoothly and evenly into her lap, but by the time they were on her sex, they had changed to a stroke, rhythmically lapping at her petals like long tongues, and of course, they too, were perfectly in time with the devilish cadence of the music. The result was predictable, and before long, her pelvis was tensing and pulling slightly back to the drumbeats as she fought to escape the clock-like erotic torture.

Thump thump… Thump thump…

Soon, Beth noticed that it wasn’t just her own body moving, but also that of the living cavity she was submerged in. It followed her undulations perfectly, right along with the music, amplifying and deepening her own motion. She did not understand the significance of this until several minutes later when she forcibly tried to stop her body. And she succeeded for a second or two, but then the powerful muscles and tendrils urged her to move and she found herself unwittingly taking up the tempo yet again.

Moaning, Beth knew that her body was gradually accepting the rhythmic convulsions at an instinctive level, just as the demon had forewarned her. In a few more minutes she’d be unable to control herself anymore, no matter how hard she concentrated.

Thump thump… Thump thump…

It was becoming hard to focus, the sexual arousal overloading everything else in her brain. There was also a new touch, this one down at her apex as well. Each time her pelvis rocked forward, there was something just tapping at her gates. She hadn’t even noticed it at first because of the repeated slippery licks from the tendrils. But gradually it had become increasingly present. She rolled her head forward limply and glanced down her body, trying to see what it was. She was shocked at the display. Between the myriad caressing fingers all over her, and more specifically the ones at her nipples and down between her spread thighs, she was mesmerized. It was one thing to feel their effects, but quite another to watch them as they kissed the hardened peaks of her breasts and swiped over the folds of her womanhood again and again and again. She couldn’t take her eyes off her own body as it roiled in the grip of uncontrolled passion, her hips humping to the musical intercourse that was slowly driving her insane with lust.

Then she saw it… the large, obviously phallic member that had slipped up out of the creature she was seated on. It was vaguely human-like in appearance, in that it had a head and a long shaft that culminated in something resembling a testicle sack, but that was where the similarities ended. All along the top of the shaft was a bumpy ridge, and at its base, was a mane of flowing, pulsing tendrils.

She watched in growing apprehension as her pelvis angled forward and caused her sex to run right up against the head of the phallic member, the soft yet rigid flesh pressing against her gates for a moment before she moved away. And right on tempo, she rolled forward again, the tip hitting her flower and sending sparks of pleasure up her spine. To her surprise, on the next beat, the flat tendrils lapping at her labia changed their direction slightly so that they licked her open in the tiniest amount. It was enough. As the phallus bumped her this time, the head met the very wet, very slick entrance to her tunnel, causing her whole body to shudder before pulling away again. Her breath caught.

<yes, beth. it’s for you.> Said the sultry voice in her ears. <do you feel it coming slowly inside you? do you see how you draw it deeper with each thrust of your hips? you can’t stop it. you want it. you want it inside you… deep inside you… take it in, beth.>

Whimpering again, she did just as the Watcher asked. It was right, she couldn’t stop herself from slowly letting it penetrate her. With each beat of her pelvis, she saw that her body was taking just a little bit more of the demon’s member. With each deep beat of the music, her hips betrayed her just a little bit more… just like they had back in her apartment.

Thump thump… Thump thump…

“Mmmph… nnnmmm… UMMM! UMMM!”

She could see that the Watcher was moving its shaft as well, directly in opposition to her own motion. With every downbeat, the head was now pressing completely inside her, popping in and out with slippery ease, and causing her to quiver with erotic stimulation each time. She was amazingly wet, literally dripping, but not just her own juices, but also those of the demon, who was excreting more of the oily slime right from the odd member. With every penetration, it was pushing the lubricant further and further inside her, making it easier for it to slide into her sex on the next piston-like undulation.

She found that she couldn’t look away. The Watcher had fixed her head forward with its powerful grip, forcing her to watch her own demise, but even if it hadn’t, the sight of the demon’s member plunging into her every few seconds was absolutely hypnotic. That she could feel it as well, easing deeper and deeper, only made it more so. Eventually she realized that it was no longer pulling completely out. It had come within her enough that their respective motions kept them fully coupled.

<yes… that’s it. feel our union, beth. let it take you. it won’t be long now.>

Still, the depth of the demon’s slow intercourse intensified. It was reaching into her sweetness with longer and longer strokes that took nearly the full beat of the music to complete. The ridges along the top of the creature’s shaft ran in and out of her sex in an alarming way that peppered her clitoris with a quick series of maddening taps each thrust.

In her ears, she started to hear another voice, or perhaps it was her own as well. She couldn’t focus enough to tell. The new voice was whispering strange words in an unknown tongue, words that slipped into her thoughts and down through her psyche like honey on bread. The words, were doing strange things in her mind, things that she didn’t like, but that she was just as incapable to resist as the pleasure and rhythm that drove her on. They were changing her somehow, and she rolled her head back and forth in what little effort she could muster to get them to stop. But it was no use. She felt them taking hold of her consciousness, draining away her resistances.

<did you really believe you could run from me? that he could keep you from me, or that you could resist me? foolish human… i have been doing this to your kind for thousands upon thousands of your years. i know your construction, mortal and weak as it is. i know the arcane commands to unlock your minds and control you directly at your core, where you can’t stop it. i can govern you completely… stop your breathing, even your heart. i can override your means to slip away into unconsciousness and refuse you sleep… i can even seize hold of that most wondrous of moments, completely controlling your ability to peak…>

She could feel her body fully, but could no longer control it. The deep, primal center of her mind was all that remained, governed by lust and instinct. Beth knew there was nothing stopping the Watcher now. Her body was trapped in a pattern of rising pleasure that would soon bring her to orgasm, and with it, possession of her soul. She could do nothing but watch as she slowly fucked the demon on her own, undulating within a grotesque web of tentacles.

Her breath was becoming short and sharp, the tension in her belly building as she neared her moment. She felt the layered rise of exquisite pleasure that built in her womb, and the nearly painful clenching of her vaginal muscles. Her back arched, her thighs burned, but still she didn’t come. More and more fire piled up in her abdomen until she was certain she would explode with need, and still she did not come.

<do you finally see? i could hold you here at this moment, beth. i could leave your body forever building but never able to reach that pinnacle of release… you would die in torment…>

The music and the whispers mixed in her head, blurring her vision and drowning out all else save for the pleasure.

<but i will give you what you desire so much…>

In confusion and agony Beth’s body was screaming with rising bliss, piling up within her until it was a white hot ball of growing passion that was slowly pushing outward… pushing her outward… out of her body. She stopped breathing, her eyes fluttered, her hips continued to thrust in spasms against the shaft that impaled her. Finally, when she was certain her heart would burst in her chest, there was a great welling heat in her womanhood.

<…now…>

A hot stream of liquid erupted from the tip of the phallus and quickly filled her trembling sex until it was forced from the space in pulsing waves. At last, Beth cried out in bliss against the fleshy hand that covered her mouth as she shook wildly in ecstasy. And as she did, she felt herself slide away, as though the ground had just disappeared beneath her and she had dropped into nothingness.