Terror Within, Horror Without
Lovecraftian Bible Story
(I did this in one take and I don’t have editing software, so there are a few mistakes. Hopefully it is still enjoyable.)
If you could hie to Kolob In the twinkling of an eye,
And then continue onward With that same speed to fly,
Do you think that you could ever, Through all eternity,
Find out the generation Where Gods began to be?
Or see the grand beginning, Where space did not extend?
Or view the last creation, Where Gods and matter end?
Me thinks the Spirit whispers, “No man has found ‘pure space,’
Nor seen the outside curtains, Where nothing has a place.”
-If You Could Hie to Kolob, 284 – William W. Phelps
I
My father was not a fearful man. But when I was a young boy, I saw fear in his eyes for the first time. It wasn’t from the blasphemous doings of the nearby city, and it wasn’t from the horrid sacrificial practices of neighboring villages. The fear was brought to his eyes by a story he told me. One that had been told him by his father, and that his father was told by his father, and so forth for generations. It was the tale of the Twisted Serpent. It was the long-told history of a malignant beast whose name was only ever spoken in a whisper, if at all, as if it would hear it’s name on your tongue. Leviathan, terror of the deep and enemy of all. My father began the story in a hushed tone, telling me of the Battle of Old between ancient cosmic powers beyond comprehension. As he finished telling of the Fall of Leviathan, he told me two things I could never forget, even if I wanted to. The first was a prophecy that brought the fear back afresh into his glistening eyes. And the second was a prophecy that brought a glimmer of hope. The first prophecy ran thus,
“Before the wind blew.
Before the light shone.
Before the water ran.
Before the earth known.
That which was slain, had eternal lain,
beneath the depths of ground.
Until at last, called forth from past, Leviathan there slept bound.”
Then my father held my shoulders as he spoke the second prophecy to me with hope, “But this one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands… That is why we named you Noach.” I felt a weight set upon my shoulders that I did not understand, but I knew my fate and the fate of Leviathan were entwined. I knew this to be true, for when I stared into my father’s infinitely deep eyes, watching the fire dance reflections in his gaze, I saw fear for the first time - fear for me.
II
As much as I wished I could, it was impossible to cleanse my mind of the words my father said that starry night by the fire. They stuck with me all of my long life, and as I grew in age, the world grew in horror. The nearby city found new, or more likely ancient, arcane evils to practice within their walls. The neighboring villages became a danger to us as they began committing the unspeakable horrors in service of their brazen idolatry. As things progressed towards chaos, madness, and blasphemous indulgence, I felt my fate creeping toward me out of the infinite unknown black. That was when I heard the terrible chanting of the neighboring village that lay nearest to the East.
It was late into the night and the moon was full, when I heard it. I hiked to a nearby mountain-top to peer across the valley at the malodorous occult gathering below. They danced strange dances around a large circle of fire, and in the center of the blazing circle was an idol that bore no resemblance to the things of this earth. From the great distance I was at, it appeared even to move, but this must have been a trick of the flames. Then their voices carried up the valley to my ears as they cried their blasphemous incantations, “Livyathan! Livyathan! ph'nglui mglw'nafh Livyathan wgah'nagl fhtagn!” The words were foreign to me, but I felt an uncomfortable shiver upon my spine none-the-less. Occult doings were no odd occurrence in the world, but this instance felt more treacherous than any other cult incarnation I had overheard. The words appeared to have some form of effect on me as I broke into a cold-sweat and my knees failed to hold me. I failed to realize the significance of this obscure gathering in the night, but it would soon dawn on me just how sinister their demonic practices truly were.
By the time I had started a family of my own, we had moved far from all other villages and cities, due to the entirely ubiquitous practice of perverse sacrifices and demoniac rituals. The Cult of Livyathan had both faded into the shadows, and grown exponentially since our last hearing, but this was not the sole cause of our removal from communal life. That reason lies with what I overheard upon my necessary venture into the nearby city called Nod. I rarely ever ventured into such a sinful and blasphemous place, but I had need of certain supplies only found in a community with talents other than my own esoteric woodworking abilities. I got in quickly, did my necessary business, and was leaving when I overheard a hushed conversation in a small back-alley behind the blacksmith I was at.
The two spoke quietly, and seemed excitedly cautious about something, but I couldn’t catch what they said until I heard the last thing the taller of the two said, “...until at last, called forth from past, Livyathan sleep there bound.” The words were instantly familiar to me, as I vividly recalled the prophecy my father spoke that night at the fire. I immediately realized the implications, that this fast-growing cult was much more insidious than I could have ever imagined. The sinister look I was given upon my quick gasp of air caused me to quickly retreat from that dreaded city. I said nothing to my family, but packed everything we had and left immediately for a more remote valley, far from that terrible city.
III
We lived peacefully in our valley, removed from the sinful stains of the outside world in location, but never entirely in dealings. For years I felt that perhaps I would live out my days, happily settled in the valley with my family, until I heard the Voice. It was another starry night, and I lay out in the field watching the cosmos twinkle at me, when I felt something unlike any other night. It felt as though the stars were staring back. Like infinite shining eyes covering a terrible dark face that gaped forth from the outer reaches of the sky. As this feeling crawled across my skin, a pillar of cloud began to form overhead, shielding me from my new-found terror.
That was when I heard an eldritch Voice, disembodied and distinct, yet small and deliberate. It’s sound seemed to reverberate from all of the material surroundings I found myself in - the grass, the trees, the mountains - but the feeling of a terrible presence rested in the newly formed cloud that darkened the sky above. I cowered and fell on my face in fear as the Voice spoke to me thus, “The end of all flesh has come before Me.” I shook with terror at the pronunciation of such a thing, and I whispered into the grass with my eyes closed tight, “Who are you?” The Voice replied in that terrifying whisper that came from everywhere, “I Am That I Am.” In this utterance a word - or was it a name? - flashed across my conscious mind. Yog-Sathoth. I knew that I spoke with an unknowable cosmic deity beyond any other, and I shuddered as the Voice went on, “I Am about to destroy the earth, and unleash a terror long held prisoner by My Will. I will call forth Leviathan from that sunken tomb in the earth, and the earth will be no more.” I could not fathom nor comprehend the terrible implications of what had been spoken, but every word etched itself into my mind. Had I only known what horrors awaited me, I would have prayed for death.
I dared not open my eyes or mouth, and terror gripped my frame, rendering me immovable by my own will. Yet the Voice went on, “Out of the earth, I call you. Out of the depths, I call Leviathan.” The horror of realizing my fate dawned upon me with this hideous declaration. I lost all consciousness and fell into a black slumber as images of ancient powers and evil forces drifted across my mind. When I awoke, I felt as though the whole thing may have been a feverish nightmare. I would have given into this relief except for the words burned into my mind, and the strange Will pushing me to carry out the odd deeds. They were instructions, commandments from the Voice behind the outer Curtain, to build a kind-of unearthly temple or structure, and all of the necessary measurements to do so. I know not for what purpose this strange thing need be built, but I dared not defy the Will that pressed upon my mind. I lived in fear of Leviathan for many years, but I now knew there were darker and infinitely more powerful things lurking. What accursed entity could bend Leviathan to it’s own Will? What wretched power was able to imprison the beast that brought fear into my father's eyes? The terror that dwells within the earth is known, but the horror that dwells without is utterly unknown.
IV
During the ensuing years of feverishly building such an other-worldly structure, I was forced to hire a strange assortment of questionable characters. This was of course against my better judgement, but I knew such a devilishly large structure would require more than my own hands to build. I only allowed work for a set amount of time, before severing the employment. I did not want anyone knowing the extent and scope of the terrible deed I had been set to. This left every workman with merely a snatch of the entirety, but talk none-the-less abounded in the most unsavory of circles. Since my numbing encounter with the Voice in the dark cloud, I never once chanced a gaze upward at the stars. Terror had hold of my heart, and I could not chance a misstep with such a glance. The rumors of an eerie man with a fear of the stars building a blasphemous temple began to stir up other rumblings in the most reviled of circles.
I overheard from one of the more suspicious workmen that the Cult of Livyathan had taken a peculiar interest in my mysterious temple being erected in the valley. I did not know it then, but my totemic structure had caused the malignant Cult to awaken with new fervor and begin the unspeakable deed of trying to summon their master, a deed they would regret ever being successful. I never once faltered in the task I was Willed to carry out, though it pained me greatly to think I could be aiding such a power, the likes of which the earth had never known. I tirelessly labored at my insidious task for years, until at last the unknown thing was near completion. Was it my fearful imagination, or did it resemble a massive coffin? I shuddered at the thought...
Unbeknownst to me, during the final months of that accursed project, an equally audacious and dastardly task was being carried out. Far away from the valley of my own bitter work, final preparations were being set in place for a ritual so blasphemous, it’s execution would blot out the sun. The Cult of Livyathan had finished gathering all the abstruse ingredients for their malicious ritual. The fact that several children went missing during the ensuing weeks only suggests the terrible depths that this Cult had sunken to. Against the very yearn of my soul, the heinous unnumbered group gathered together in a southern neighboring valley to my own to begin an ancient ritual lost to all but the truly crazed. That day will forever be remembered, for there can never be a day of more loss for the world or mankind. The completion of my terrible deed coincided with the enactment of their treacherous summons, and consequently, the Will of that terrible Outer God. On that day, ancient powers, long forgotten by earth and man, made themselves known again.
V
At last I found relief from my burden, as I gazed in horror upon the massive coffin-like structure I had been Willed to construct. Sadly, the relief was fleeting as I once more heard that terrible Voice in the pillar of dark cloud - the very sound of my nightmares. As the sky darkened with a dark and misty fog, the Voice thundered it’s heavy whispering voice into my very soul, “I Am He Who Created All. I Will Not Destroy All Yet. The Time of Remaking is Not at Hand. Save Thy Family and All I Shall Send. Enter the Ark and Witness Death.” I trembled as the terrible sound and dark clouds swirled about in the sky. I had come this far, I could not turn back now. I gathered my family and we entered what I now knew to be an Ark, but still viewed to be my coffin. My family and I entered the Ark. As we did so, an alien power beyond measure shut the door through which we entered, leaving us stranded in the pitch-black. We began groping our way into a level area where we could all huddle into a terror-ridden circle. That was when the first of the many inexplicable horrors came to pass.
As we held each other in the darkness, we began to hear noises unidentifiable to my ears. Screeches, howls, scratches, and unknown thumps. It sounded as if we now sat in the center of a wooden box filled with monsters. Could these be those that the Outer God sent? It must have been that at some point in time, I know not when, hundreds of different crawling beasts and slithering creatures had entered the Ark for salvation from the doom to come. I had expected this Voice to bring people, but the strange God is always beyond my comprehension. My family and I dared not move a single muscle, fearing even to breath, lest we stir or startle any of the beasts that now surrounded us. The cacophony of vicious sound and the din of unexplained thumpings made for a most fearful hour of waiting. I knew not what we awaited, but I knew it would be a sight most horrendous. Several times throughout the hour, unknown creatures of horrible texture slithered or crawled over my body. We waited in the dark for the death that was to come - I awaited Leviathan’s return.
As I sat huddled in the Ark, images began to be burned into my eyes and mind of the outside world. It was as if this terrible Being wanted me to witness the suffering that would soon ensue - to truly “witness death”. In this way I saw it all, and the fear of this Being has never left me since. Across the valley, over the mountains surrounding, and into the next wooded valley below, there was an evil gathering of vituperative individuals. There in the wooded forest, the Cult of Livyathan had begun their arcane ritual that would, within the hour, climax in a wretched and despised end. As they finished their hideous slaughtering and sacrifices of things too black to mention, the earth began to rumble and falter. The very foundations of the world were being shaken, and I knew what monster was responsible. For there, sleeping in the fetid subterranean ocean, lies the Twisted Serpent. It had slept, undying, for eternity past, inside the earth, and it was at last called forth to bring death upon the world.
There, at the site of the occult ritual, the earth, like an egg, cracked open and let fourth a rush of malodorous air, and rushing torrents of fetid waters. The skies blackened to a swirling grey-black mass and poured forth water upon the earth like never before. Torrential downpours coupled with unbeheld flooding from that which lies below. I watched in my mind as the Cult of Livyathan was consumed by the emerging head of a monstrous beast so unspeakable, I dare not write an utterance of its form here. A writhing mass emerged in the flood of waters breaking upon the earth, and Leviathan was free at last. The trembling earth gave way before the bulk of the beast like it was flax. A rampage of fury ensued on the people of the world, with poor souls being snatched up into monstrous rows of fangs and teeth. In a single motion of it’s heaving mouth, thousands perished in painful agony. The beast swam to and fro, consuming and destroying all that lay in it’s path. I begged inwardly for mercy from such a terrible fate, and as tears filled my eyes I heard snatches of desperate fleeting prayers and screams from the flooded mire;
“Why did I not perish at birth, come forth from the womb and expire!”
-
“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Beast; Leviathan, hear my voice!”
-
“Your wrath lies heavy upon me! O’ Outer Gods, you overwhelm me with all your waves!”
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Leviathan, why do you betray us!
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We have angered the Outer God of Old, we must repent! Repent! Repent! Oh god!
VI
The Ark began to shift and creak as I recalled where I was. All at once, and without warning, the entire structure was lifted by the raging river of water now coursing through the valley. We all fell into a blind mess on the floor, and the unknown creatures around us raised up such a cry as had never been heard anywhere. The Ark was afloat on the river of death that flooded the earth, but we felt far from safe. There was continual bumping and rocking, and uncertainty of whether the craft would hold. A certain indescribable smell began to permeate the Ark, that of the sea and of death mixed in a most uncanny fashion. An unnerving and noisome thudding against the outer walls of the Ark insinuated horrid things bobbing in the murky waters. As all of these terrible realities pressed on my senses, another thing fought for control of my mind. Once again, images were being forced into my head, images and flashes of the outside world and the death therein.
Destruction permeated my mind, and death swam before my eyes. Screams, cries, and prayers lingered in my ears. There were bodies already afloat through the mix of mud, water, and vegetation, as well as temporary survivors clinging to some semblance of land, treetop, or structure. I say temporary because of the wicked horror I was forced to bear witness to after. Leviathan, that terror of the deep, moved through the waters with otherworldly speed and strange movements, devouring any and all surviving life. Those that clung to the hope of life through a branch or a rock found themselves swallowed whole along with their tree or mountain. The wretched chomping and sound of mastication racked the earth and echoed deep vibrations through the flooding waters. I tried desperately to stop my ears, to no avail. Little did I know how long that sound would plague me…
It seemed the nightmare was without end, as the images continued to be branded into my mind, and the thudding and thumping continued to rock the Ark. I would have no ability to judge how long this wrathful flood of water carried on, save for these fleeting bits that were being burned into my eyes. For forty days the waters continued to rise, and the screams and cries became less and less frequent as Leviathan moved through the water. We sat in the dark, and moved only when necessary - for food and relief - until finally, the bumping ceased altogether. The Ark had risen above every solid object that could be bumped by its peculiar bottom surface: every mountain now lay at the bottom of an incalculable depth of wet death and destruction. Yet our horror was far from over.
VII
As visions of clearing skies flitted across my consciousness, a vague dull light gave the inside of Ark a grim, but faint illumination. As our eyes adjusted to seeing once more, what we beheld was far from comforting. The source of all the noises and screeches that had plagued us these forty days now became apparent, even if in such vague gray light as this. Unseen creatures and unknown beasts lay about us in every direction. There were few recognizable things in the Ark, but horrors and unknowns abounded. There seemed a sliver of hope in that thus far the beasts and creatures had not devoured us, though I feared it was for lack of sight and sound. As it would prove in the unbearably long future ahead, the beasts of the Ark did not intend to make a meal of us, yet.
One hundred and fifty days of dim gray life passed slower than can be conveyed. The reality of that which lie within the Ark was learned to be lived with - though in fear - but, that which lie without the Ark was dreaded every day. For one hundred and fifty days Leviathan roamed the earth, devouring all life. On occasion that horrid beast would move through the waters nearby and cause a great shifting and swaying of the Ark, enlivening all the dangerous beasts aboard. Leviathan would pass through the waters, bumping and knocking the Ark with it’s bulk and mass. The Ark would heave and rock, causing an inner turmoil of no small sort, until at last it would rest again on the dead waters. Gradually, the knocks of Leviathan became less, and the visits of strange outer bumpings ceased. Until a final thud on the one hundred and fiftieth day, marked the cessation of those rancid waters from the earth, slowly leaking back into the inner depths from whence they arose.
The last jolt occurred when the Ark came to rest on the top of a mountain, later I would learn it was Mount Ararat, a precarious place no sane man would build such a large structure. The waters continued to draw back from the earth, seeping through unseen cracks into unknown caves. The gaps in the earth that allowed the vengeful flood to dissipate were not large enough for that dreaded terror of the deep, and as the waters receded, the final images of the outer world were seared into my mind: Leviathan, that hellish monster, went to rest on the bottom of the deepest crevice, in the deepest canyon, in the deepest ocean. Why would such knowledge be granted me, if not to have me live in fear. For the terror within the earth may be known, but it is a terror nonetheless. I now pray ceaselessly to the Old One above, entreating for continued mercy.
VIII
Forty days more passed in slow burning terror. With no foreboding sounds without the Ark, I dared to dream of opening the sole window of the craft. At last light pierced into the realm of darkness now familiar to my eyes. The searing white light of a bright day shone through the window, and at last my eyes beheld the world I once knew. A world devoid of all life was all that remained, that and the smell of dried mud. The waters had recessed enough to leave the Ark in its final resting place, but not enough to merit a hasty removal from the safety of it’s bowels. Instead, I was forced to release birds out the bright window, that they might return with a sign of plant life in their beak. It took several tries until at last, a dove returned with the green hope I sought - a small olive leaf. It was the only sign I had that there was anything alive outside the Ark, below the mountain on which it rested.
After an utterly unidentifiable amount of time, we pushed open the massive door to the Ark that had been so mysteriously closed at the onset. It took all of us pushing as hard as we might, and we just barely succeeded in the job. The copious amounts of light that came streaming into the Ark set off an uncontrollable and unforeseen reaction among the beasts and animals. A brash stampede of rushing fur and claws ensued until no beasts remained in the Ark. I know not how the beasts managed to escape the precipice they found themselves on, but it would seem they were far more resourceful than I. As we exited the Ark, there was a slight feeling of relief that entered my mind - a peace and relaxation. That is until I considered how I had gotten here in the first place.
An unknown god of immeasurable size and power had cracked the earth open and destroyed all life on its surface. That eldritch horror was still out there, watching, no doubt, my every move and thought. I dared not stand outside the Ark another moment without trying to appease it with some crude sacrifice. I located one of the poor escaped beasts and hastily slaughtered it on the spot. I offered it up on a disheveled altar I had assembled from nearby stones, praying that this horrifying haunter of nature would see fit to spare my wretched existence. I was still as yet unconvinced that this wasn’t a cosmic joke by a sick and twisted ghoul, who would now destroy my life in flames after drowning the earth in a flood. A fiendish irony could be found in it, and that worried me most of all, so I ignored the carcass of the beast and prayed for mercy with my face in the mud.
IX
The curiosity burned in my breast, so I chanced a glimpse skyward, despite knowing it wasn’t safe.That was when I saw it. A color unlike any this earth has to offer the human eye. It was utterly alien in radiance, and yet alive in the way it moved through the sky. It swept forth in one shade like a wave, and receded back in an entirely different unidentifiable shade. This color out of space lit up the entire sky with a dazzling radiance so terrifyingly bright, I looked up but once, and ceased to open my eyes at all. As this living radiant color danced through the celestial realm, a voice began to speak. It was the strong and harsh whisper of the Voice I heard long ago - telling me what would happen. I cowered in fear and buried my face in the mud and rock. What if the sacrifice was done wrong? What if it thought I was merely mocking it by slaughtering a creature it told me to save? I feared the Voice.
The terrible whisper of the Voice boomed into my very being, and it ran thus: “Surely I will require your lifeblood… but not this day. Instead, go forth until I call for the blood that is mine.” With great fear and trembling I answered a feeble “Yes, Lord” and may have passed out. I cannot recall what happened immediately afterward, either from a lack of consciousness, or from a block on my already strained memory. The next thing I remember is waking up at the base of the mountain in an encampment set up by my sons. My mind wandered and questioned all of the ludicrous it had formed. What ancient Outer God has the means of rendering Leviathan obsequious? Why does it toy with me and leave me alive? Why save the beasts and not more humans? Restlessly I lay awake in the dark, staring fixedly at the tent overhead, thankful for it shielding me from the stars and their unblinking eyes.
The fear my father possessed of the terror within the earth pales in comparison for the fear I feel of the horror without it. I know that in the valley of the deep, in the bottom of the sea, lay Leviathan. Yet I know not where the being of this Voice resides, if in one place at all, and I fear it infinitely more. Never again will I look at the stars, and never again will I swim in the waters. I am plagued with the horrifying thought that I am watched at all times and seen in all places. Out of a fear inspired awe I worship the unknown God that swept away all life. I hold my life lightly, knowing that someday the Outer Curtain will once again be pulled back and the Ancient One beyond it will require my lifeblood.
“He reveals deep and mysterious things; He knows what is in the darkness”
Daniel 2:22
Directly Quoted Sources:
If You Could Hie to Kolob, 284 – William W. Phelps
Genesis 5:29
Genesis 6:13
Psalm 88:7
Psalm 130:1
Job 3:11
Genesis 9:5
Acts 17:23