" Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah,

  sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven."

  - Book of Genesis 19:24

  "Well, if it isn't the Emperor. What a great honor to have you here... Your majesty." He saw shadowed hands reaching out to him, although he was not afraid of them. Nicodemus felt them consume his body, like vines on a tree, from his feet on the ground they wrapped up his legs until finally holding on to his neck. His head was held high avoiding the touch. Distant humming to a familiar tune was heard in the distance. It felt eery, as if someone was singing next to him.

  Nicodemus woke up in a cold sweat, looking around to see who spoke or sang. He glanced over to see Micah and Ruth still fast asleep. Virgil raised his head, startled, and ran over to him. There was a bright light on the horizon, he got up and walked near the edge by the pillar. It was beautiful, Nicodemus could not believe his eyes. It was real. In the distance sat two cities, they illuminated the sky with their red glow. He was enchanted by them, they seemed to almost whisper their own glory.

  "Demus, You do not have to go." Nicodemus turned around and saw Micah. There was a different feeling between them, perhaps only Nicodemus felt it this time, as the other only looked visibly upset. "Please, let me go alone. They seem beautiful, nonetheless those cities are known to change a man who walks into them."

  Nicodemus did not know what to say, he remembered how they left off before they fell asleep. He turned his head and went over to wake Ruth up, no way was he dealing with this after everything. Micah kicked a few rocks and went straight to the horses. It is not that Nicodemus wasn't scared to go. He was terrified of the entire trip, however it would be best to not show fear. He had his sword with him, Virgil was there too. He felt a bit sick again; in spite of that, he would be able to hold it off for a few hours. There was a tight cramp under his rib, and he felt a heat as if in a rut. It would be best to ignore it until he was alone.

  Ruth checked on Nicodemus, handing him the other half of the pill. She grabbed the maps and would lead the way down. Nicodemus felt a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach again, he could not explain the feeling as of right now. He turned and saw Micah, and they made quick eye contact before both shying away. He would need to talk to him once they found Cain. Virgil ran besides Ruth, Nicodemus thought it would be a better idea for the two of them to stick together, while Micah and Nicodemus could divide themselves and waste less time finding Cain.

  "Sodom." Nicodemus read. They were at the arch that would welcome them in. The three of them got off their horses. He suggested it would be best to set them free for the time being and have Virgil shepherd them back. Nicodemus needed to plan for the worst, he tapped Micah’s shoulder looking apologetic. When the other turned around he felt the same feeling in his stomach only grow stronger.

  "You alright?" Micah asked, his eyes scanned Nicodemus. Nicodemus turned his head and took a few steps back. It only got worse when he spoke to him, avoiding Micah would be the best until it is resolved.

  "I am. We have a few hours till sunrise. I think it is best if we separate. I can go to the west side of the city, you handle the middle, Virgil and Ruth it would be best if you two remain together and go east." Nicodemus fixed his scabbard and took his sword out, checking it before placing it back in. "If in two hours we find nothing, we will meet at that bar." He pointed at a small restaurant in the middle.

  "No, let me go with you. Virgil is scary enough and has enough power for himself and Ruth. I am worried about you especially with you feeling sick." Micah stepped closer and reached out to touch his chest. "Demus, separating is not a good idea. Let me go with you." Nicodemus sprung up to his touch. His heart began to beat fast. He lightly pushed Micah away.

  "We will meet in two hours. Cain should be easy to recognize." Nicodemus said. They all looked into the crowd of people walking. There were men and women carrying on in their daily lives. All seemed to do the same repetitive movements over and over and over again. There was something now sinister about the city, some wore masks, others kept their face covered and a few seemed to not have a face at all. Micah kept his eyes on the crowd, and Ruth noticed it too. It would be best to keep their comments to themselves. They all knew by now that this was no ordinary place, it was too late to back out now.

  Nicodemus lead them on to a breaking in the paths, his vision became blurry; however, he chose to say nothing for now. He did not want to worry anyone.

  "Ruth, may I have a pill in case my head hurts again?" she quickly took the pill bottle out and handed it to him.

  "Take them with you. Are you sure you do not want me or Virgil to go with? Samyaza said to avoid leaving you alone."

  "No. It will be alright. You can head east first, make sure he stays by your side. Please be safe, keep your guard up and do not let go of your sword. I will see you soon." Nicodemus raised her hood over her face, he gave her a quick hug and sent her off. He did not give her time to protest or say much back. Ruth seemed more nervous, Virgil pulled on her cloak for them to start moving. Nicodemus felt safe knowing he was with her. She was a smart girl, and knew better than to let anyone harm her. If worse comes, Virgil will take care of it. Micah raised his hood, and turned to Nicodemus. He pulled out a small silk cloth and tied it around Nicodemus’ head, covering his mouth and nose and leaving only his eyes visible.

  "Hide your face. Ruth, I am not worried about only because the mutt is with her. However you, Demus, do not let anyone get too close. Even if they seem friendly, unless it is Cain, not everyone is your friend." Nicodemus could not keep eye contact. The tension grew between them. He tried his hardest to control his breathing, his vision would leave then come back, he could not hold himself anymore. He needed Micah gone.

  "Stay safe. I will see you in a few hours." Nicodemus backed away, he felt weak in his knees, and tried to control his body. Micah seemed to focus more on him, reaching to pull him in, Nicodemus swatted his hand away.

  "Micah, I am fine. The faster we do this the faster we can get out. I will take a pill if I feel anything later." He smiled. Micah handed him a flask of water, before turning away. There was a darker look in his eyes.

  "Two hours. I will find Cain first, just to prove to you that I could have done this on my own." He looked back before running ahead. Nicodemus was left alone.

  Once he no longer saw Micah or Ruth, he fell to the ground. He clutched his chest and began to hyperventilate. He had been holding a stress in his body this whole time and it only got worse. He felt heavy and hot. Nicodemus could feel the blood pumping in his veins. His vision faded in and out. His hands shook as he opened the pill bottle. He could no longer control himself, the bottle fell from his hands and the pills spilled over the sand. The pain in his chest became stronger as seconds passed, he fell over in agony. Only slightly managing to control his breathing his hands moved through the sand.

  "No. No NO NO NO!" He felt around, except nothing was visible to him anymore. All he saw was a red blur of light. His spine began to hurt, the skin on his back ached and stung as if a knife was cutting him open. His bones cracked under pressure and he felt himself sinking into the sand.

  "We know what you love, we know your weakness...Your majesty... Let yourself free."

  He felt small rocks and shards of glass—although, not a single pill—suddenly there it was, he heard the voices again, this time even louder than before. Nicodemus ignored them, there was an intense ringing in his ear. He heard laughing and sirens, and tried to cover his ears.

  "Leave me alone!" He screamed.

  "Scared, your majesty? You are our king, the one and only, we live in you. Wake up."

  He dug his hands in the sand and found what seemed to be a pill by its shape. Pulling out the flask of water he brought it to his mouth, removing the silk and drank. Nicodemus blinked a few times, clearing his eyes, able to see once again. The ringing had finally softened and his heart relaxed. He felt around his waist and stomach to see if he had dropped anything else. Nicodemus had never had this type of panic attack before. He was sweating and looked pathetic on the floor. There were eyes on him and people had stopped to stare. He knew it would have been best to let Ruth know about his condition, and Micah would have probably fought him against doing this on his own even harder if he had mentioned it. Nicodemus' pride would always get the best of him.

  He looked around to see if he could find more pills. He slammed the ground noticing most were gone. "Idiot!" He said to himself. He dug around and found three, putting them into the small bottle again. Taking half of a pill before had worked, as long as he did not waste any more he would be alright. Keeping count of what he consumed would give him a general idea of what worked best for him during certain moments. Later he planned to ask Ruth what the dosage was supposed to be. He got up from the ground and put them away in a small pouch for extra security.

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  He felt light headed once he took his first step. Great, his first time being alone had gone way worse than he had expected. He searched the area, noticing that no one had given a shit if he was alright or not. Whether that was a blessing in disguise or misfortune he did not know yet. Nicodemus raised his hood again, and placed the silk back over his nose. Wasting time was no longer an option. Finding Cain was the goal, and he needed to make it out of here before things took a turn for the worst. Nicodemus was not sure how long the pills would last, clearly they helped sedate him. Testing his own luck would not be a wise choice in a place like this.

  Sodom was known for its sin of lust. People committing sexual acts right in front of him put a sour taste in his mouth. He did his best to keep his eyes on the floor. Women played with themselves out in the open, men looked at each other right in the eyes as they were being pleasured. The smell of the alley way he walked through made him stop to throw up. He leaned by a wall and vomited. Nicodemus wondered if Ruth was alright. He felt instant regret for letting her off on her own. He wondered if Micah felt the same. 'Micah...' Nicodemus thought of him. He crouched down for a moment, he needed to regain his own strength.

  The thing he hated about the alley way was how much the sounds echoed. He heard a woman's moans become louder, slapping of skin against skin. How could an act once seen as beautiful to him suddenly be so vulgar now. There was no love in this city, it was all a lust. He dared not to even look up and see where the sounds came from. He knew he needed to keep going. A few cloaked strangers with masks passed him, they smelled like wine and tobacco. Looking down, he raised himself back up holding back the vomit again. Rats ran past his feet.

  He saw a drunken man laying on the floor covered in feces. His face was full of sores and his bare feet had begun to rot. The smell alone was powerful enough to make him back away more. Nicodemus gagged and covered his mouth he would not be able to control himself. Flies covered the man’s body, some going into his nose, bugs crawling out of his mouth. Nicodemus realized too late that the man had died. He felt shivers down his spine. This city was hell itself.

  He had to keep going, stopping was not an option. The smell of this place was intoxicating, he tried his hardest to hold his breath and breathe as slow as possible. He needed to find Micah, Ruth and Virgil.

  "You look lonely." Whispered a voice. Nicodemus jumped and turned around. There was a man behind him. He stepped back and held the hilt of his sword.

  "Leave." He commanded.

  "Haha, I won't hurt you. What is your name?" He said. Nicodemus could not make out his face, it seemed as if he looked through a hazy glass. His features were not detailed like a human’s, he was missing a soul almost. The man had light eyes and silver hair, however his pupils were not seen. This had to be a joke, the city was messing with his mind. Nicodemus squinted his eyes, and pulled his sword in front of him.

  "Back off." He kept guard.

  "Do I look familiar to you? You won't hurt me." The man reached out to him, and caressed his face. "Beautiful boy... Come to me." he leaned in to Nicodemus, feeling down his chest. Nicodemus pushed him away with the end of his sword, he had never killed a man. He hesitated at first. Scaring him away was his best option.

  "Ha! You think that did anything?" The man reached and pulled the sword away tossing it behind both of them. "Give in, and I wont hurt you." He pulled Nicodemus closer by his cloak, Nicodemus moved his head out of the way. This was not Micah. His voice was harsh like nails on a chalk board, his breath reeked of beer. Nicodemus managed to free a hand before hammer fisting his face. There was a glitch when he turned his face from the impact.

  "Let me GO!" Nicodemus lifted his knee and kicked the man right in the groin. The man fell back, and his face became nothing but a shadow. He knew better, than to stay in place. Nicodemus quickly turned and ran straight. He saw a corner and made a sharp turn, keeping the hood in place and covered more of his face. He saw a small opening under a tent, and ran inside.

  There he had time to catch his breath. He rubbed his eyes, peeked out. No one had mentioned that about Sodom, it was clear the people were not human, being able to shift like that was new to him. Transforming into his closest friends could be dangerous, if he saw it, what if Ruth or Micah saw it too? He was not aware why he saw Micah though, maybe it was because he held Micah in the back of his mind, he needed to find the real one soon.

  Nicodemus peered outside for a moment, making sure the coast was clear before exiting the tent. On a street corner he heard a scream from an old man.

  "Help! They are taking my daughter! Please! Someone help me!" Nicodemus picked up a wooden stake—unfortunately that was all to be available—and he ran to the old man.

  "Young man! They are going to rape my daughter! Help me get Paltith back." The man kneeled down at his feet, and placed both hands on his boots. Nicodemus felt horrible, he helped the man up.

  "Where is she?" he asked, "Don't kneel. Get up." Nicodemus saw how the man relaxed to his touch. The old man held onto his forearm, he was shaking. His eyes were filled with tears.

  "I've come here by mistake. Help me, please! I cannot do much." The old man led Nicodemus through a new lane, there they both hid behind a wall. Nicodemus looked past it to catch the sight. He felt a sense of deja-vu, small spaces were not his favorite place to be in. The old man pointed out to a trapped girl.

  This was Paltith, she struggled to get out of a cloaked man’s grasp. He had her pinned down by a wall and his hand felt around her—now exposed—chest. He leaned down kissing her neck, still pressing against her body with his. The man’s free hand slowly traced down to her legs. Nicodemus turned his head, he could not bear to watch. He felt disgusted at the sight of all this.

  "LET ME GO!" she pleaded, fighting to push him off her, the figured pressed Paltith back hitting her hard on the wall, a snap was heard. Her blood shot eyes turned as she saw her arm which had become dislocated. The old man covered his mouth in horror. Nicodemus held him back with his arm. He would have to sneak up on the person, it was the only way for the girl to escape freely, without being caught and putting himself in danger as well. He knew it was better for them to stay hidden right now. As much as it pained him to see a father witness this, it was not safe yet, The man could be armed, and kill the girl.

  They heard Paltith's cries for help, strangers walked past them ignoring her calls. Hate slowly filled Nicodemus' heart. How was it possible for people to walk right past a helpless girl. He clutched tightly to the wood, waiting for the right moment. He needed his mind to focus on her again. Her shrieks were covered by the man’s hand. Nicodemus couldn't handle it anymore, Once he had noticed that the man’s gaze was locked on her, he charged. Nicodemus felt time warp, his thoughts became faster than his actions. His footsteps were silenced due to the sand, as he approached the man from behind.

  "Go to hell." he whispered in the man’s ear before lifting the stake and aiming right for the middle of his head. He heard a crack and the man fell to the floor. Blood oozed out on the sand and his mask fell off. Nicodemus pulled the stake out, and aimed right for his face again. He rose up and kicked the stake in deeper.

  Paltith cried, as she saw what Nicodemus had done. He removed his boot off the man’s now de-formed face. Small drops of blood covered his own face and clothes. The old man ran out and grabbed his daughter’s arm, she embraced her father in a hug.

  "Paltith, my sweet girl." he reached out to caress his daughter’s face. Nicodemus stood frozen on the spot. He killed him. He did not know whether to runaway and hide or leave the body to rot. The blood would stain his clothes, how would he ever explain this to the others? Although he had never committed murder, he felt a small shock fill his body. The smell of blood poisoned his stomach. "BE NOT AFRAID." He heard a voice in his head. A dark flashback replayed in his memory. Nicodemus turned and puked on the dead man. He was no longer able to control his stomach.

  "Sir!" The old man reached out to pat Nicodemus' back. "Come with us, we can help you as a form of gratitude." The old man gestured for Paltith to help out. She seemed to hesitate, however she helped him up, she cleaned his mouth with the sleeve of her dress.

  "Brave sir, this place is not safe for you. We have a small home you can stay at till you recover." Nicodemus felt light headed, he had been throwing up so much. He nodded in agreement. Together the three of them headed back to their home.

  "What is your name? I will thank you properly." Nicodemus covered his mouth and looked at the old man. His face was much more clear now once they stepped foot inside his home. He appeared younger than before, maybe now that he was no longer worried for his daughter’s life, the old man was able to smile when answering. Paltith ran into the kitchen and brought back some juice to drink. Behind her came another girl, she was younger and handed Nicodemus a plate of grapes. He thanked her, and turned back to the old man.

  "Lot. I am the nephew of Abraham."