Eli's Town

by Amy Cross

  “You're insane!” I shout. “You're right, I should stay and -”

  Stopping suddenly, I realize that somehow he did it again: he got into my head and made me start saying things that weren't coming from my thoughts at all. Sensing movement nearby, I turn just as an elderly woman tries to grab my arm. Pulling away, I turn and hurry past the hotel and then along a narrow street, desperate to get away from Eli so that I can find some other way out of Tulepa. Once I get away, I'll be able to gather my thoughts and see what's really happening, but right now Eli's somehow managed to drag me into it all.

  “Where do you think you're going?” Eli calls after me. “Holly, you're not thinking this through!”

  Ignoring him I race along the street and then around the next corner, only to see two women coming the other way.

  “Don't make this harder,” one of the women says with a smile. “I'm going to teach you how to do this.”

  Turning, I ran back along the street and then take a different route, racing further away from the town square. Spotting an open door in the back of a building, I look up and see a sign for Doctor Conyne's office. Figuring that if anyone in town had a proper phone it'd be the doctor, I make my way through the door and into the rear of the building, only to stop as soon as I find myself in a cloud of fat, buzzing flies. I start brushing them away as I head along the corridor, but when I get to the main office I see that there's no phone on the desk. There are more flies buzzing all around me as I push open the door to Conyne's surgery, but when I try the phone in the corner I find that it only works for local calls. I guess there's no way to contact the outside world, so I'm just going to have to get out of Tulepa on foot.

  “Holly!” a voice calls out in the distance. “How do you think you're going to hide from me? I'm everywhere.”

  Hurrying across the room, I push open the next door and find myself in a storeroom, and then I open the door at the far end, finally reaching a small, open yard with -

  Stopping suddenly, I stare with horror at the piles of dead, rotting corpses that have been left here. Men, women, children, all left out in the afternoon air and in various stages of decomposition, with thousands of flies buzzing all around and maggots working their way through the corpses' flesh. I know I have to turn and run, but I'm frozen to the spot as I realize that these bodies have been dumped in their clothes, some putrefied and old, some much more recent, some just bones with a few patches of skin. I'm so shocked by the sight, I don't even brush away the flies that have landed on my face. All I can do is stare at the bodies, as the crawling, foul-smelling horror fills my eyes and as watery skin sloughs from some of the bones, dripping down onto the concrete floor where thick maggots are crawling through the remains.

  “I buried the first ones,” a familiar voice says behind me, “but digging all those graves got kind of tiring.”

  Turning, I see Eli smiling at me, with several other locals right behind him.

  “Don't worry,” he continues, stepping closer, “I'm not going to hurt you. After all, you're family. I'm just going to make you understand.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Dean

  “You were so good at that,” Brittany says as she buttons her shirt back up. “It's been a while since a man made me moan so much.”

  “What can I say?” I reply with a faint smile, as I step back into my pants. “I know how to please a woman.” Glancing at the door, I realize the shouting outside seems to have stopped. I kept telling myself I was imagining it all, but there were times a moment ago when I thought I heard Holly calling my name.

  “The way you kept your rhythm was really good,” Brittany's boyfriend says, still watching from the other side of the room. “That's some stamina you've got there, Dean.”

  “Thanks,” I mutter, not really wanting to discuss anything with him. To be honest, as much as I enjoyed going at it with Brittany, I could have done without her creepy boyfriend watching the whole time. I tried not to look at him, of course, but once or twice I noticed him keeping his eyes fixed firmly on us, and there was a strange expression on his face, almost as if he was enjoying himself a little too much. Still, if these freaks want to get off on something a little kinky, I guess that's not my problem.

  Turning to Brittany, I see that she's already fixing her hair. “You might wanna take a pill,” I remind her. “We don't want any little Deans running around in Tulepa, huh?”

  “Actually,” she replies with a smile, “that was kind of the whole point.”

  Frowning, I realize that she seems to find something funny.

  “Let's just say,” she continues, “that the gene pool in Tulepa was getting kind of shallow. Ever since I started this new program to get a new generation going, I had to consider the problem of... Well, limited resources. I guess maybe it's good to have a few strangers pass through town every so often, provided they don't mind sharing their seed. I should have thought of this sooner.”

  “Huh,” I reply, starting to feel as if this Brittany girl sounds less like a hot girl and more like someone with a plan. “Well, I hope you won't be expecting any help if you are pregnant. I mean, I'm happy to provide where I can, but things haven't been so great lately.” I wait for her to laugh, but she sure seems to be taking everything seriously now that we've finished the deed. Glancing at Jordan, I realize that he's still watching me calmly. “And you're okay with all of this?” I ask. “I mean, I'm not one to judge, but you guys seem to be taking the concept of an open relationship a lot further than most people.”

  “I have my reasons,” Jordan says calmly.

  I force a smile, but I'm already thinking it's time to get out of here. These guys are a little too relaxed about their kinks.

  “So I hope this'll just stay between the two of us,” I continue, turning to Brittany. “Or the three of us, anyway. Like I said before, discretion is very much appreciated.”

  “Oh,” she replies with a grin, “I can assure you, only you and I will ever know.”

  “Well...” Pausing, I realize it's not just Jordan who's giving off weird vibes now. “I hope you had fun,” I add finally.

  “I did,” they both say at once.

  I turn to Jordan, then back to Brittany. “You kids are pretty weird, you know that? No offense, and all.”

  “Depends how you define weird,” they both reply, almost as if they're sharing one mind. Suddenly they both take a step toward me, and it's a move that seems calculated, as if they planned it right from the start. “From my point of view,” they both continue, “you're the one who really isn't fitting in. Don't worry, though. Soon you'll be just like the rest of us.”

  “Is that right?” I ask, edging toward the door. “As much fun as this has been, guys, I really think it's time for me to get going. We had some fun, but now we should just go out separate ways and -”

  Before I can finish, I back against someone. When I turn, I find that several women are standing in the doorway, all of them staring at me with the same blank expression. There are more outside, too, almost like they're queuing to get in.

  “You've got a little more work to do first,” Brittany and Jordan tell me. “Since we've got someone new to add to the gene pool, we need to maximize the chances of success. I'm sorry, it's partly my fault. I should have planned ahead more.”

  I try to push past the women in the doorway, but none of them are budging and after a moment I'm pushed back into the room.

  “Guys,” I continue, forcing a smile even though I'm starting to get worried, “I understand, it's not every day that a good-looking guy like me comes through this dusty old place, but still, you need to try to control yourselves. I'm only one man, and there's only so many -”

  “It won't take long,” the women all say at once, and slowly a smile spreads across each of their faces.

  “I guess you rehearsed that, right?” I ask, before turning and looking over at Brittany and Jordan. “Is that what this is? Some kind of attempt to freak out anyone who passes through town?” Spo
tting another door over in the corner, I make my way over and pull it open, only to find myself facing a dark corridor with a hint of sunlight at the far end. Before I can step forward, however, a figure appears in the distance, followed by a couple more, as if these freaks are trying to cut off all my routes out. For a bunch of idiots, they sure know how to seem menacing.

  “Relax,” Brittany says suddenly, putting a hand on my shoulder from behind. “When I'm done with you, using each of these bodies in turn, I'll make sure to reward you handsomely. Or would you prefer it if I just got into your head right now and took over? That'd be pretty weird for me, but if it makes your life easier, I guess I shouldn't complain.”

  Turning to her, I start to realize that these psychos are serious. Before I can tell them to go to hell, however, I feel a kind of itching sensation in the back of my mind, as if something dark and unseen is forcing its way through my thoughts. I flinch slightly, trying to get rid of the sensation, but damn if it doesn't just get stronger.

  “What the hell?” I whisper, stepping back against the wall, but it's too late: I can hear a voice in my mind, twisting every sensation as if it's trying to impose itself. I guess maybe I'm having some kind of weird migraine, although I've never felt anything quite like this before.

  “Don't fight it,” Brittany says, keeping her eyes fixed on me.

  “You'll only exhaust us both,” my own voice adds, rippling through my head.

  “What are you doing?” I stammer, trying to force the voice out as a cold sweat spreads across my body. “How are you... It's okay, there's no need to be scared. I'll let you experience it all, Dean, but only from the passenger seat. I'm taking over this body now.”

  Letting out a gasp, I realize that something seems to have entered my mind, using my mouth to say crazy things that don't mean anything to me. I try to turn and run, but my whole body feels stiff, as if some other force is taking control.

  “Feel me swimming through your head,” the voice continues, echoing through my thoughts. “You can't hope to stop me, so just sit back and enjoy what's left of the ride.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Holly

  When I turn to him, I accidentally look straight into the sun for a moment. Turning away, I blink a couple of times, trying to clear the blotches of light and dark in my eyes.

  I can hear his footsteps getting closer. He doesn't say anything, of course. He never really says much at all, but that's okay, I've gotten used to him now. Mom explained how he is, and although Karen still seems not to like him, I feel like there's no reason why some people shouldn't be quiet. It doesn't make him a bad person.

  Still...

  This feels wrong.

  Why am I back here?

  Turning again, I look up and finally the spots of sunlight clear, allowing me to see him properly. Uncle Eli has come down to the bottom of his garden, and he has that same awkward, uncomfortable expression that Mom says he can't get rid of. I used to think he didn't like me, but now I know he's like this with everyone. In fact, I feel like he's opened up a little on this visit, almost as if he wants to be friends.

  “Do you like these?” he asks, holding out some candy.

  His voice is so low, I can barely hear him.

  I hesitate for a moment, before reaching out and letting him tip the candy into my palm. He pauses, as if he's not sure what to say next, but I can tell that he thinks he should say something. A moment later, he nods and then turns to go back to the house, where Mom and Dad are still talking in the kitchen.

  “Why do you live alone?” I ask suddenly.

  He stops and looks back at me.

  “I just wondered why you live alone,” I continue, holding my hand above my eyes so I don't look into the sun again. “Aren't you ever lonely?”

  “I -” He stares at me for a moment, as if he's genuinely surprised by the question. After a moment he clears his throat, and then he looks around as if he's worried someone might overhear. Finally he turns back to me. “I'm fine. Why did you ask me that?”

  I tip the candy into my mouth and chew it all at once, swallowing it in one big gulp. I can get away with that when Mom isn't watching.

  “Why don't you have a wife?” I ask. “Don't you want children?”

  “It's fine,” he murmurs. “I just don't think about it that much. Eat your candy.”

  “But if -” Feeling something in my hand, I look down and see that the candy is back, even though I ate it a moment ago. I tip it into my mouth again and start chewing, but when I look at my hand again, the candy has already returned. “Am I...” I pause, trying to make sense of the situation. “Am I dreaming?”

  “Freak!” a voice shouts suddenly.

  Turning, I watch as two teenagers ride past. They seem to be laughing at uncle Eli, and one of them is making some kind of gesture with his right hand that I don't quite understand. One of them shouts something else, but most of it is a load of adult words that I don't really understand.

  “Why do people say things like that to you?” I ask, turning back to Eli.

  He stares at the boys as they ride off into the distance, and finally he turns to look at me. There's a flicker of anger in his eyes. “I... People are just like that sometimes.”

  “But why?”

  “They just are.”

  “But why?”

  “I don't know.” He opens his mouth to continue, but something seems to hold him back for a moment. “People just recognize when other people don't fit in, I guess.”

  “Don't you fit in?”

  “Not really.”

  “I don't always fit in,” I continue. “At kindergarten, I mean.”

  “You don't, huh?”

  I open my mouth to ask what he means, but suddenly I look down at my hand. There's more candy than ever, but this time the individual pieces seem to be moving, as if they're crawling across my palm. I stare for a moment, but the tickling sensation is getting worse, and I can feel them on the back of my neck too. Reaching up, I swat pieces of candy from the side of my face, but they're making a buzzing sound now and some of them start hovering in the air.

  “What's happening?” I whisper, trying not to panic even though there are tears in my eyes.

  “You're waking up,” Eli replies.

  I look over at him.

  “You're waking up,” he says again, but this time his voice sounds older and deeper, and also a little closer. I blink, trying to get rid of the few remaining sunspots in my field of vision, and the air all around seems to be shimmering.

  “Eli?” I whisper.

  “You're waking up,” his voice says yet again.

  I close my eyes.

  “Holly -”

  Letting out a gasp, I lunge forward and open my eyes, only for a rope around my waist to hold me back. Dropping forward onto my hands and knees, I open my eyes and look down at a dirty, dusty concrete floor with flies buzzing all around. I swat them away, but there are too many and after a few frantic moments I slump back with a sharp aching pain in my chest. There are a few bloody scratches on my fingers, and my head is throbbing. Short of breath, I try to stay calm before finally looking up and seeing Eli nearby, old now but with more of a smile, sitting on a chair just a few feet away.

  “I'm sorry,” he says after a moment. “You turned and tried to run again, but you hit your head and... That was about two hours ago. I think you were dreaming while you were unconscious, your lips were moving and you were whispering something, but I couldn't make it out.”

  As I look around the cold, darkly-lit room, everything starts coming back to me. The town, the people, the dead bodies... and Eli's wild claims.

  Reaching down, I find that there's a rope tied tight around my waist, so tight that it hurts. I try pulling on the knot, but it's too secure. Digging my fingertips between the coils, I try again, only to snap a fingernail clean off in the process.

  “Forgive the restraints,” Eli continues, “but I anticipated a certain degree of struggle when you woke u
p. I doubt very much that you're ready to cooperate just yet and I thought maybe -”

  “Dean!” I scream, turning toward the door. “Dean, help me! I'm in here!”

  “He can't help you now,” Eli says calmly.

  With tears in my eyes, I turn to him. “What have you done?”

  “It's less about what I've done, and more about what I'm doing right now.” He keeps his eyes fixed on me for a moment, and his sense of calm is becoming more disconcerting by the second. “Forgetting about you and your boyfriend for a moment,” he continues, “there are eighty-five pairs of eyes left in Tulepa right now and I'm able to look out through all of them at once. Currently, nine of those pairs are watching your boyfriend as he...” Pausing, he seems to be struggling to hold back a smirk. “Well, let's just say that there's a degree of poetic justice being served. He's being useful to the town, in the only manner possible. It's quite distracting being able to see and hear his suffering, while simultaneously feeling the carnal pleasures of other bodies, but I've learned over the years to compartmentalize the images and sensations that come into my -”

  He pauses, and then he lets out another gasp.

  “Oh,” he whispers, “yes. That was good. Time for the next one to take over.”

  “What are you doing to him?” I ask, my voice trembling with fear.

  “In a way,” he replies, still staring off into space as if his attention is being drawn by something I can't see, “it's almost natural.”

  “Eli,” I continue, reaching down and starting to work on the rope around my waist, trying to get the knot loose, “I don't know what you think is going on here, but you can't do this. You're taking these fantasies way too far.”

  “It's my town. I can do anything I like.”

  “Eli, please!”

  “I used to be the local freak,” he adds, with a hint of grit in his voice. “Do you remember that? I'm sure you saw glimpses of it, even as a child. Teenagers would openly mock me, and I knew their parents said much the same thing behind closed doors.” He pauses. “I got sick of being treated that way.”