# Brother Hostage Woe be the name of our current hour! A demonic hound from the pits of the underworld has set upon our tender village’s modest church, taking hostage men, women, and children alike! In exchange for their freedom, the beast has demanded that its untamed lust be satisfied by a willing man of the village, who will receive an excessive filling of otherworldly hellhound seed and be impregnated therewith—bestiality! homosexuality! rude buggery! The impregnated man, upon bearing the hellhound’s seed, will then be brought down into the underworld for two years to live at the hellhound’s house beside a lake of fire, and deliver and see to the offspring. For every passage of 12 hours in which his demand for a man has not been sated, the hound has sworn he will mark another one of his hostages as claimed, to be a servant in his house in the underworld and to assist the vessel in raising that which will be newly birthed. In a house nearby, the church’s leadership is gathered, while the remaining townsfolk wait outside, to find out what answer they will give to the demon’s demands. Brother Hopkins, Brother Maddox, and Brother Sharp are present. In the distance, the bell tower rings 6. BROTHER HOPKINS It has been 11 hours now, by my reckoning. If the vile cur is true to its word, it will soon make its first claim of one of our good, dear flock. How fare you, Brother Maddox? BROTHER MADDOX I was there when it arrived. I saw it. It looked like... like a grinning fire, pleased it was burning: at the center a coat as black as pitch, haloed in licks of fire all around. And its strength, to break in through the very ground. Its muscles... this one could put horses to shame. And its steaming breath... BROTHER SHARP Yeah uh. I’ve been meaning to say— Just then! The door opens, and Brother Thorton enters, and closes the door behind himself. BROTHER THORTON I have been to the Jarett ranch, and they are now sending a messenger to the city upon their swiftest steed. Soon Father Wagner will know of all this, and will instruct us on how to proceed with these matters. BROTHER HOPKINS Thank you, Brother Thorton. BROTHER MADDOX I just keep thinking about it. The lust in its eyes, so ready to mount a good, pure man, the wretched sin it desires to do to us... BROTHER SHARP I volunteer. BROTHER HOPKINS What’s that, Brother Sharp? BROTHER SHARP Well, as we know, time is of the essence, and it’ll begin claiming its hostages sooner than Father Wagner will be able to get here. So, uh. Yeah. I’ll do it. I’ll go bear its offspring. Brother Sharp shrugs. BROTHER THORTON Brother Sharp! Get ahold of yourself! This is unthinkable, what this beast would have of you! BROTHER SHARP No uhhhhhh I’ve been thinkin it. I’ve been reallllly thinkin it, it is very thinkable, and uh. I want to go with the demon hound to the underworld. BROTHER HOPKINS Brother Sharp, do not so lightly cast away all the good that you have built in your life. I understand that you want to do a supremely noble thing, by sacrificing yourself to this vile beast’s demands, but remember your soul, and that you will do our lord unthinkable shame by giving in to the bondage of his enemy. Already, you live in our lord’s favor. Fall not into this pit, and look instead ahead to the rest of your years, where you have lived, and will live, free from vile lust. BROTHER SHARP No uh, I’m not grossed out by lust, I’ve had impure thoughts about Brother Maddox’s wife. BROTHER MADDOX Hey! Brother Sharp shrugs. BROTHER SHARP When I say I WANT to go with the beast, I mean I really. Really. Really want to go with the beast. I think I would go even if he was just asking politely. BROTHER THORTON Brother Sharp, perhaps you have been spared the gruesome details, but allow me to share of what we know, from those who have come back: the hellhound will mount you as a stud mounts a bitch, and with his male organ, he will stab and dig and pry into you where no entrance was before, using evil sorcery from the depths of his wicked realm to put in your body an opening and a womb; all that resides comfortably inside of you will be rearranged to fit his lust. For three months, you will have his evil growing within you, taking form. And then in tremendous effort you will birth the offspring, as a mare births foals, as a cow births calves. This would be your fate if you go now towards its lustful advances. BROTHER SHARP Brothers, I will see you again in two years. Brother Sharp begins walking towards the door, but is stopped by Brother Hopkins. BROTHER HOPKINS Hold on. Brother Sharp, you must justify this. BROTHER SHARP Must I? BROTHER HOPKINS For all your life, you have lived with our lord’s virtues in your every action. BROTHER SHARP Wow you REALLY didn’t notice the uh... no never mind, sorry, go on. BROTHER HOPKINS We did not notice what, now? BROTHER SHARP I was kinda faking it? BROTHER HOPKINS What! BROTHER THORTON No! BROTHER MADDOX Usurper! Brother Sharp shrugs. BROTHER SHARP The church is where all the instruments are, I kinda always just wanted to be a musician, and when I was good enough, I would run away and live a life of bisexual, polyamorous pleasures. Brother Thorton faints. BROTHER SHARP Mostly homosexual, if I’m being honest. Brother Maddox faints. BROTHER SHARP So uh. Yeah. That’s why I’m like. There. So often. At the church. And I just kinda nodded and learned to say the things you guys say. BROTHER HOPKINS But why this? You were on a path to a good life. Stay, and you will have a wife, a home, a family. Brother Sharp shrugs. BROTHER SHARP I’m KIND OF about to have all of those, Brother Hopkins. I don’t have any qualms about taking the mother role in that equation. BROTHER HOPKINS This is a twisted undoing of all that is good! BROTHER SHARP I don’t doubt that you feel that way. But uh. No. No this is a good thing for me, actually. Oh, and I am going to take an instrument or two with me, when I go, to continue my practice down there. Same ones I was always going to steal when I ran away from here anyways, just to be honest with you. Let’s call it a fair payment for my uh, so-called sacrifice here today, and we can all walk away even, no debts, no grudges, no reason to even remember we ever knew each other. Sound good? BROTHER HOPKINS What will we say to the family who raised you? BROTHER SHARP A hellhound is going to get me pregnant and I’m planning to go be a traveling promiscuous bard after that? I uh. I get that you want me to feel, like. Ashamed. Ashamed to say that. But, uh. I’m really not. Your words never had power over me. Just the fact that you had all the stuff in the village. So. Brother Sharp exits. ## ζ