The Slaves Of Sodom

The ancient city of Jericho was attacked from the unnatural beasts from the east.The city of Sodom had grown to power with its serpent worshipping lizard-men, because according to them, their Volcano god, Ishter, was the heart of the land and controlled everything.

The Lizard-Emperor pointed it's reptilian finger that was encrusted with sparkling jewels and pointed to the west where the human beast men lived, they were to sack the city and take the beast men for slaves, where their skulls would help to build a new temple in Ishtar's honour.

The lizard armies came forth over no mans land on the backs of their thundering horned Brontotheres rides. Like a reign of terror, the lizard-men of Sodom crashed into Jericho's city walls and slaughtered those in cold blood who dared to fight back.

By the time of the blazing suns zenith, the battle was over. The king of Jericho was be-headed and his skull was held up to those who still dared to rebel against them.

The city was burnt to the ground and the remaining population of Jericho was chain-ganged together in a line, and forced across the seething hot desert back to Sodom, and those who fell to their knees in exhaustion were dragged along the ground until the skin tore away from the bones.

Back in Sodom, the lizard-Emperor's high advisor warned the emperor that new temples would have to be built in Ishtar's honour to appease him, and the labour from the slaves of Jericho was all they needed, until they were slaughtered and their skulls would be used to cap off the great colomns of the completed temples. 

In the slavery grounds of the temple construction sites, the people of Jericho were put into work groups where the labour was hard and those who were too weak or were too ill, were either beheaded and thrown to the lava pit or slaughtered and placed on a serving platter.

Moses was a slave in the seventh group. He once farmed the lands around Jericho. He was fed up of being hissed at by the lizard-guards and whipped so hard till his naked back bled into the ground.

One night when all was quiet, he and four others from his group sat up and organised an escape. After the temples had been built, they were all going to die anyway, so he convinced his fellows why not die anyway trying to get away. One of his fellows called Judas was privvy to the plans but unsure if they would or even could succeed.

After many darkness cycles of planning, the time had come for them to put their escape plan into action.

The great temple itself was nearly finished as it was carved into the side of a smoking volcano. It's great athousand foot colomns rose up into the smokey skies, where their tops would soon be topped with their very own skulls.

The Lizard-guards, dressed in their shiny bronze and bone armour, and donned helmets that bore resemblance to their serpent god, grew suspicious and were keeping close watch from where they sat on the backs of their horned Brontotheres.

But this was not to stop the band of slaves escaping on a pitch black night. Moses took advantage of them being unchained within the construction site. He had paved an escape through the dark allies and over the high walls made from human bones. Moses lead the exodus of escaping slaves across the wilderness and away from Sodom's city perimeter and the smoking volcano that towered high above the city.

Running away by darkness cycle and by sun cycle, Moses led the group of former slaves into the white mountains, where beautiful meadows lay and ice loomed from the vast cold that ruled the north.

The lizard-men of Sodom were angry and at once they went out and searched the surrounding deserts for their missing slaves, but they failed to find them. The Lizard-Emperor ordered a remaining slave called Judas to knee before him in his ivory throne room. Judas was giving a stark choice, he and his family would be allowed to live if he told him who was responsible for the exodus of the others.

Judas saw this as a vehicle of power and informed the Emperor that it was Moses who had led the slaves.

Judas and his family were well rewarded, unbeknown to them, he and his wife were fed the rotting meat of their slaughtered children.

And now as Moses and his people are set to build a new Jericho, a mass army gathers as the lizard-men of Sodom regroup to find Moses and bring him to justice....

 

2: The Arena of Death
The Arena of Death

The Lizard-men of Sodom were hellbent that Moses should be recaptured. As their armies regrouped and forced forward into the mountains, it wasn't long before the reptile warriors on their brontotheres mounts found the new Jericho.

It was too late when the man in the look-out tower pointed to the raising army that was at the helm of the hill. Moses summoned up his own army, but it as nowhere near as advanced as the spawn of Sodom.

Moses' army did it's best but many of the warriors were slaughtered by the lizard-men, and the general of the reptile army warned forth that the new Jericho would be sacked to the foundations again.

Moses looked on in distress as his people suffered again. He made the decision to surrender. It was him they wanted and it was him they should have, but in return for his capture, his people would be left alone.

When Moses was captured, the city was burned again, but the people escaped capture and ran into the hills, the ice cold that ruled the north so close to chilling them all to the very bones, but what choice did they have.

His arrival at Sodom heralded a visit to the Lizard-Emperor who gloated it was Judas that had betrayed him. Moses was then stripped naked and was whipped several times before being hung up onto a wall made up of a thousand lost souls to await what ever fate that welcomed him.

Moses wanted death, but it was far from what he got. The lizard-Emperor craved for entertainment and ordered that Moses should be thrown into the arena of death.

The father of new Jericho was dragged up from the stench of his slimey dungeon. He was pulled along like a dog through the stone passage-ways and was held before the Lizard-King, his head held down by the scaley foot of one of the palace guards before the throne.

The Emperor told him he was going to be the object of his joy over the next few hours by being thrown into the arena of death, and fight whatever adversary that came his way.

Moses was dragged back through the stone passage-ways that reeked of death and through a hatch in the wall held up by a rope, he was hurtled into the sand floored arena with nothing but his brawn and wit for weapons.

He stood at the centre of the arena and looked around him. There was a hatchway on the opposite side of the arena. He wondered what would come out of it.

All around him, the seats filled up and over a thousand lizard-men came to watch the emperor's enjoyment. He looked up to see the emperor in the royal box and held up a hand in the way of a signal.

The other hatchway opened and a beast man from a thousand lost ages came out and beat it's hairy chest at him. The crowds cheered on as the beast man and Moses locked into a wrestle that forced them to the ground and where the sand was kicked up all around them.

The beast man's savage eyes stared into his as they rolled around the arena, both clawing with tooth and nail to get the upper hand.

Moses forced his head aside in disgust as the thing opened its mouth to reveal a row of rotten black teeth that wanted to sink into his flesh. Even up against the beasts super human strength, Moses managed to shove his elbow out of his chest and the thing lost its balance and fell onto its side.

Moses then jumped onto its back and wrapped his thighs around its trunk to see if he could force them together and be tight up against the beast's chest wall.

The ape-man tilted its head and Moses went flying to the ground, it then turned and pounced on him, Moses realised the thing was trying to throttle him, so he chucked up sand into the beasts eyes and it jumped back and screamed out an inhuman bark.

Moses then took the advantage and grabbed the thing in a head-lock and dragged it over to the arena wall where he forced the things skull onto the stone wall several times until he could hear that the damage was done and the brain and the blood were oozing out of the creatures nasal passages.

It slipped out of the head-lock and slumped to the ground into a pool of its own thick blood. He hadn't wanted to kill it, but it was a clear case of kill or be killed.

The atmosphere from the crowds was stormy. This was not the result that the Emperor was expecting and as he turned around to face his captor, he lizard-king pointed a finger at him.

He congratulated him on his winning...and his reward was to be sacrificed to Ishkar and that meant being thrown to the volcano.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

3: Chapter 3 - Wrath of the Volcano
Chapter 3 - Wrath of the Volcano
Moses was to be sacrificed to the volcano. That was his reward for winning in the arena of death. Over night he had been shackled to the wall of lost souls and the next day he was dragged up from the stinking pit and put before the Lizard-Emperor once again.
The reptile king told him that the volcano would be pleased to have his soul. For he was to treat it like an honour because the volcano was the heartbeat of the world and it controlled everything.
 Moses remained naked as he was forced into an wooden cage and put onto a cart. There it was wheeled up by slaves to the crater that towered over Sodom.
The blood-red lavas bubbled below as the angry god awaited it's appeasement. The high priests of the Ishkur dressed in violet silks kneed before it and chanted the ancient scriptures of the red sea scrolls. The sea being red because it was made up of boiling lava that popped and hissed behind the city acting as a natural wall on the north side.
Moses turned his head to see the leading high priest turn it's scaley head towards him, and it narrowed it's piercing yellow eyes at him. It then seemed to grin through razor sharp teeth as it's fork tongue licked it's long dried lips.
Moses turned around from where he sat in the wood cage and saw what the high priest had in his sights. It wasn't him, it was the poor soul behind him. Judas. He was stood up in a similiar cage that had just been heaved up the crater behind him.
The high priest waved a hand and the troops snatched Judas from the cage, cutting his skin with their sharp talon claws as they did so. Moses looked on in horror as Judas was screaming in pain as his eyes were ripped out by the high priests claws, he then crushed the eyeballs in his fists and threw them into the lava.
Moses could feel the heat on his naked hide as the lava bubbled in the crater. The blinded Judas was stood stock still like he had given up. Then, by instruction by one of the reptile priests, Judas took a silver dagger from a trooper and put it to his own neck, blood still ran from where his eyes used to live.
Moses clamped his hand over his ears as there was a loud on going chant. A chant to the volcano god. It went on and on, louder and louder till there was silence.
Judas then screamed out a yell as he forced the dagger into his neck and be-headed himself. Moses gasped out as the headless Judas held up his own head into the smokey hot air and it screamed out it's own chant before it and his body fell to the lava.
The Lizard-men turned their attentions onto Moses. Two of them snatched him from the filthy confine of the cage and stood him on the ledge. The lead high priest turned it's head and stared at him. Moses tried to resist, but there was something that was very alluring about those eyes. They were mesmerizing, like they were drawing him in.
The was a loud hit on the gong and Moses was turned around to face the volcano. A silver dagger was placed into his hands and the high priests started to chant.
Moses tried to fight the cloud that was trying to override his mind. Something was trying to control him, like some sinister inner force. 
He screwed his eyes tight as the chanting of the reptile priests was becoming louder and faster.
Suddenly when he felt that he was no longer in control of his own hand because the dagger wanted to move toward his neck, there was a tremor. 
The tremor shook more violently and the bubbling lava overlapped the sides of the volcanic crater. 
Moses jumped back as he felt in more control of his movements, the evil force that had bewitched him had suddenly worn off. The high priests gasped and hissed out as they feared the volcano god was angry at them.
Moses turned around and made a run for it as the fireworks crackled up in the skies around the smoking crater  and then the massive explosion sending him hanging from the ledge over a steaming river of lava......
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4: ESCAPING FROM THE CLUTCHES OF DEATH
ESCAPING FROM THE CLUTCHES OF DEATH
Moses clung on to that ledge with all his strength. The firey fury of the boiling hot magna only meters down in the abyss. The chaos was still evident around him as the Lizard-men went to their knees, forced down by the high-priests to prayer to Isther the Volcano-god for forgiveness of whatever had angered him.
 Moses, with all his strength eased himself up onto the ledge and managed to roll onto his side. For a few moments he laid there naked and drained and still trying to clear his mind of the evil bewitchment that clouded his mind by the high-priests only a few moments before.
The shaking had stopped as he rose up onto his bare-foot on the sharp surface of the volcanic perimeter. The narrow tunnel was just ahead of him and whilst the lizard-men of Sodom were at one with their god, he hurried down the tunnel and came to the avenue of the street that lead down to the city of Sodom. 
He looked up behind him and saw the grey/black bubbling cloud growing and rising  further and further up into the leaden skies beyond the volcano. Down in the valley he could hear the panic and fear in the city. He wasn't going back down there, he needed to get back to his kin of Jericho and thus this was the chance he would not get again.
Moses ran. His chest hurt him as the stifing air in and around the volcano could choke the toughest of man or beast. Their was terrifying explosion behind him and he was thrown to arid ground. The prickly cacti scrazing his shins. But he knew that the volcanic ash cloud was his cover to escape, and he had to take advantage of it.
From that arid slope of the volcano that towered over the city of Sodom, he slipped away and no one was around to dare challenge him. By the next day he had travelled so far that the ash in the blue skies above were nothing but shadowery fingers driven forth by the upper winds in the stratisphere.
Moses was naked and alone. The sun was harsh on his skin so he had to rest in the shade and it was there that he managed to fashion a spear that he could take down some beast that he might make a garment from. 
The land about him was semi-arid. For as far as the eye could see, there was nothing but dry cracked sunbaked grit where clusters of cacti, hardy-plant and types of mini-palm sprung out from.  
The thickest of the cacti gave him some water but that wouldn't sustain him for long. He managed to bring down some goat-like beast that was the size of a man and and had horns that curled outward the length of his arm outstretched.
He scurried around and found the tools he needed to gut the beast and then slip it out of it's skin. The fire that night cooked the tender meat and he managed to fit himself an outfit that was more practical than was nice to look at.
Jericho was in the north. His people ran north to the cold lands where the air was like ice. The vile Lizard-men of Sodom didn't dare travel up and attack them there, for the vile reptile-folk didn't do too well in the chill.
He counted four sleeps when he noticed that the landscape around him had changed and he was rising in altitude. It had started to get cold and the skies had turned grey. He had a feeling that sent a shiver down his spine and that was the notion of being watched.
He looked about him as he came to a wall of rock that jutted off into the sky. There was patchy frost on the hard ground. He went to press on when a shadow loomed over him and as he looked up, at the blink of an eye, something jumped upon him and he ended up onto the cold hard ground. 
Moses managed to roll along with his mystery assailant and he gasped when he came face to face with a hidious manlike thing whose eyes were blood-shot, whose dry chapped lips masked a crooked row of razor sharp fangs. Moses mustered up his reserve and managed to shove the thing to side.
The man-thing rose to its flat heels. It was covered in black coarse hair and it's boney hands ended in three fingered talons.
As Moses backed away, the thing hissed. And it was then Moses noticed that he was surrounded by the things, all of them male and all of them looking at him like food.....
  
 
5: VOICE FROM THE DAWN OF TIME
VOICE FROM THE DAWN OF TIME
As Moses backed away, the thing hissed. And it was then Moses noticed that he was surrounded by the things, all of them male and all of them looking at him like food.....
The things were salivating at the sight of him. They growled and hissed and closed the circle around him. Moses picked up his spear from the ground where he had dropped it during the struggle just now. There was too many of the vile creatures. There was just no way that he could outdo all of them.
The blood-shot eyes of the leading creature stared at him. It licked its lips with a deathly pale tongue. Moses knew that the three fingered talons of all of them, would tear him to pieces.
Suddenly as he thought all hope was lost, there was a shout and a cry. It sounded more like a charge-cry and he looked up to see a hoard of people come hurrying his way. Not any people either, they were his people, his kin of Jericho.
The vile man-thing beasts scattered about, but tried to stand their ground. They hissed and growled more loudly and Moses could feel the anger within them. They looked savage as anything, but there did seem to be some kind of basic communication between them.
His people of Jericho. The former slaves of the spawn of Sodom were now upon them and they were armed with torches of fire. The creatures were petrified and yelled out in terror. The shrill of one of them sending a shiver down Moses's spine because it was so unearthly and so unnatural.
The things scattered across the ice pockets and went to hide in caves that were hidden below an abyss further down. Deep dark caves that was their lair. His people of Jericho told him that they had encountered the creatures before and they were afraid of fire. They had were too savage to know of fire.
It was a young man called Ber that took Moses hand and greeted him. It was long thought by them all, that Moses had died at the hands of the vile Lizard-men, but evidently their former leader had escaped Sodom.
Ber lead Moses and his people back to the encampment and around the roaring fire that lit up their faces in the darkness, Ber told Moses about life since fleeing to the icy wilderness of the far north.
Yes, it was too cold for the Lizard-folk to stand and attack, but it was too cold for man also, they couldn't stay there for long periods. It was so cold there, that tears froze to ones face instantly, they said.
Moses told them he was back for good and he would find away and a place for them to settle and rebuild, but really, he didn't know where to start.
That night he had a dream like no other. An impossible dream that was so real, he knew he had to act on it's effect on him. 
 It was the voice. It was strong and deep, but at the same time, so calm. It had an unearthly quality, but not as unearthly as the voices of the vile creatures earlier.
The voice told him:
"Hear me Moses. Moses the leader, that is you. You will lead your people to safety. You might ask who I am, I am many things.
Some call me the Guardian of time, a guardian of the world who was here at creation. A creation that was not that long ago. I am neither male nor female. I am everything and everyone. I am one with this world and the world is one with me.
You can call me god...guardian of destiny....and I give you the strength to lead your people to their destiny in the promised land.
Soon there will be a catastrophic effect that will destroy some, but others may flourish...especially the chosen few in the promised land and those few, will you lead Moses.
As the leader you are.
You might wont to know where this land is....it is south...across the dead sea....how may you cross you wonder?
You will see....the sea will risea path for you when the time is right
Three days, you will leave here with your people. On the dawn of the fourth day....you must be ready on that shore....
Was it all a dream. Moses blinked several time where he laid on that bed of fur under the night constellations.
The promised land. Dawn of the fourth day......
Dream or not, he knew that he had to do this....and this he would do. 
 
  
 
6: JOURNEY TO THE DEAD SEA
JOURNEY TO THE DEAD SEA
At dawn, the people of Jericho were awake, and Moses gathered everybody around and put to  them that they needed to journey south to the promised land. Ber questioned his decision, stating that the vile spawn of Sodom would be waiting to incarcerate them yet again.
Moses didn't want to come across as mad and tell them that some strange primal voice spoke to him in a dream  - but he announced that he had a feeling that in the promised land, the land beyond the dead sea is where Jericho's destiny laid.
Ber reassured the uproar and as spokesman, said they should trust their former leaders judgement. By the zenith of a raging relentless sun, the people pressed forward, forever nearing the dead sea.
Through mountain pass and down into the desert sands, they travelled for three days until Moses pointed towards the dead sea. A vast spanse of water that stretched far to the east and far to the west and only just in the far yonder, you could see land across on the opposite side.
Animals were on the coast, horses and bison and massive hippopotamus. The people rested and Ber approached Moses who looked far out to the yonder the promised land.
He asked how they would cross the water. There was no wood nor material to build a raft the size they needed to travel across. Moses placed a hand over the latters shoulder and smiled at him. A knowing smile...and a hopeful one....at sunrise, the dawn of the fourth day, they would cross this water....somehow...
The people of Jericho were watched as the afternoon wore on. A scout member of the vile lizard-men of Sodom aspied them and went back to the city on his brontothere ride and held audience with the lizard-emperor himself.
The spy reported that the former slaves were again near to the city and he was with them
Moses.
The lizard-king closed his green slimy fists and narrowed his yellow reptile eyes. Revenge. No one dared to escape Ishtar and live. Moses had to die and then his flesh would be used to feed the slaves they captured, and his skull would be crushed in front of them. Ishtar had been angered and needed to be appeased and the death of Moses would seal the Volcano's appeasement.
The high priests were happy. And a slave was brought up from the dungeon and gutted where he stood and the vile brethan of Sodom fed on the raw human flesh. The Emperor held up his blood dripping talons to his mouth of razor sharp teeth and licked up the fresh tasty gore.
The next time he would eat....would be Moses.... 
On the coast of the dead sea, Moses instructed his people to set up camp. Questions started to come to the forefront about how they were going to cross the sea. Moses didn't know how to answer them. All this was pretty much a gamble of believing the strange primal voice in the dream.
 As dusk set in, there was a cool breeze that came in from the water. The camp fire raged, and tasked as much to keep dangerous predators at bay, as well as cooking antelope and fawnhog they had speared that evening and the stakes roasted in the flames.
As the evening wore on, something happened. Moses laid back flat upon a blanket of fur and stared up to the stars. A streak of golden light flashed across the night sky, then another and then another. He sat up as Ber approached with his mate Freda, both pointed to the heavens.
There was a rumbling of thunder in the distance, but it was vibrating the ground so it wasn't a thunder of the sky.
And as the night wore on further, Moses, Ber, Freda and everybody didn't sleep. The nights sky had turned red and a unearthly prevailing wind at picked up.
Moses didn't understand what was happening....
....but something was happening....
7: THROUGH THE WATERY WALLS THE EXODUS
THROUGH THE WATERY WALLS THE EXODUS

The dawn sky was on fire. There was streaks of gold running across the red aura of the heavens. And then, there was the trembling of the ground thunder in the distance.

It was dawn of the fourth day. Moses looked across to the dead sea, the prevailing wind forcing his hair back and his people huddled together behind him. All were bewildered, scared or in awe of what was going on. This strange phenomenon of the unknown that was acting out around them.

The waves of the sea were choppy and the foam came up onto the beach. Ber came to stand at Moses side and looked at him. He said he had faith in him but now, he was starting to doubt it, all this outlandish action going on around them. It was Ishtar, the evil volcano god of the reptiles of Sodom. He was indeed taking his revenge for Moses' escape.

Moses was doubting himself, doubting that the dream he had was just a dream and the voice was probably his in his head. He had led his people to their doom. They would die in the fires of death from the skies above, or get sucked up in the choppy waters of the dead sea.

"Moses...you must lead your people...you must lead your people to the promised land...do not doubt I...the guardian of your destiny...have faith and witness...

...and don't be afraid..."

Moses could hear the voice in his head, it was so real. And all around him was the wind, a howling so loud, Ber was shouting and pointing and the others were screaming, but their voices could not be heard.

Moses turned his focus to what the others were pointing at. A massive fire ball in the red sky with a tail of golden flame. It soared over them such a din, the people fell to the knees and clamped their hands over there ears.

The spawn of Sodom were on the browe of the ledge that sloped to the beach. The amassed army, the disciples of Ishtar, were waiting sat aback on their brontothere rides. The great powerful beasts snorting and kicking the dirt back to get going with the charge set by their masters.

The Lizard-emperor had come out to take command his warriors this time. Through cold slitted eyes his brilliant reptile vision could see the beast vermin on the beach cowering from the strange enigma from the skies.

This was Ishtar. This was him showing that the people of Sodom were to be avenged and that that beast-men would be forced down to the burning fires of the bowels.

The monstrosity in the sky soared over the dead sea in such a speed, the waters parted and began to rise a path in front of Moses and his people. Moses's eyes were wide in awe and at the same time, realising that this was what was promised.

Moses pointed ahead. He yelled out to run...run through the path where towers of water spilled out to the skies at either side of them.

Ber took charge and started to make a run and he pulled Freda along. Others took their mates and were in hot pursuit as the former slaves made sprint across the wet sand where all sorts of fish, behomeths and Meglodon-sharks were snapping at their feet from where they laid helpless on the mud.

Moses watched them grow smaller up the path. He then turned and saw the spawn of Ishtar on the approach. Moses held his eyes to the heavens and closed them. His arms were up and outstretched.

The Lizard-men looked on in awe as Moses then parted his hands and looked toward the yonder.

The Emperor's eyes narrowed as he gazed towards the human beast, his nemesis, the one who had escaped him and his destiny to be at one with Ishtar.

Moses opened his eyes to the heavens, the fish dead now on the mud at his feet. His eyes closed again as he felt the inner force flow through him, the red flames of the angry sky raising to a sonic boom

Through the walls of sheer water on either side, Moses made forth his escape to the promised land. At first a canter and then at a run.

The lizard-king of Sodom was adament that Moses be captured and beheaded on the spot, whether his body would rot through the sands of time. He pointed his finger thus, and the army marched forth on their monsterous rides at a thunderous gallop.

Moses turned and made his exodus and ran until his lungs were burning with fire. There was a strange aura about him - about the land - a rushing wind that pulled onto the waves making them sway either side of him.

And then a white flash of blinding light his eyes had ever witnessed. A flash that threw his battered body to the sand and then a thunderous roar that threatened to make his ears bleed in sheer pain.

He managed to lift his warey tired head up from where he lay and saw the water start to tumble down in foamy stormy rains.

Moses hadn't made it. He had not reached the coast. He closed his eyes and waited his destiny. But he smiled, for the reptile emperor and his armies were completely engulfed as the waters sunk them beneath the waves till the waters were high and their evil cold hearts were drowned forever.

The sun was bright as the former slaves of Jericho looked about them at the tropic beautiful valley. The widerness was to the south and the dead sea, now calm, to the north. Birds and parrots flew from tree palm to tree palm. A clear stream ran through the oasis where fish were aplenty.

The sun at risen seven times since the exodus across the sea.

That afternoon Ber looked out to the sea and held the hand of Freda. Both looked into eachothers eyes for a moment and then there was a splash and from the waves Moses came out from the water.

His cuts and wounds were healed, he was refreshed and young looking. It was like the sea had given birth to him.

He came forth and took Ber's and Freda's hands and told them not to be afraid.

He was here to lead them and help them and together nurture the human race. Through their leadership they would plan and build a new Jericho for the people that would grew and grew and take over the land.

For mans time in the world had come...

THE END