Editor's note: this story contains scenes of non-consensual or reluctant sex.
*****
Nothing much happened in the village by the river where Lily lived. The community was happy, but very isolated - in her lifetime, there hadn't been a single visitor from outside. The only movement would happen once a year, when a girl was selected to venture out into the world beyond the village. Finally, after 20 long and boring years, Lily was selected as this year's Departed. Whether it was fate, or because she relentlessly begged the council to choose her, Lily didn't care. All that mattered was that she was given the blessing to escape, as she had always wished to be an adventurer.
The outside world must be so exciting; none of the girls chosen in years past had ever returned to this tiny little village, with its population of less than 50. Yes, of course she'd miss her parents and her little sister, but those feelings were overshadowed by her imagination, which raced with images of distant shores, mountains and valleys, and all manner of creatures and people she would get to meet in the days, weeks, months, and years ahead.
Lily's mother packed her satchel with a handful of supplies and some food while she sparred with her father, the blacksmith. Not that she really needed the training; Lily was the best sword-wielder the village had ever known, and she knew it. Her whole life, she'd been training for this day - the day of her Departure.
Dressed in her leather armour over her cotton top and skirt, she said her cheerful goodbyes to her tearful family. "I love you all; I'll never forget you! Maybe I'll be back one day, when I'm old and bored of the outside world," she joked, then left, never to be seen again.
The path leading out of town was more of a suggestion than a proper road. Lily followed the path roughly east, away from the river, in the same direction she'd seen the other girls head on their Departure days. She kept to the biggest gaps between the trees, and began wondering how far she'd have to go before she met anyone else, or before she found a real path. No matter; her years of studying survival training in the tattered old book her neighbour owned had taught her well. She'd be able to live for a week or more if she rationed her supplies sensibly.
Barely half an hour on her journey, she heard a strange noise, almost like a woman's tortured moans, echoing through the forest. Lily unsheathed her sword and let her ears guide her to the source of the potential trouble. "Looks like the journey's getting interesting already," she thought as she imagined herself rescuing a poor woman from the clutches of some wild creature...or man.
Shortly, she came to a cave, its dark, gaping maw jutting ominously from the densely forested ground. Everything about it looked unnatural - a cave like this shouldn't have existed in the unremarkable, flat surroundings of the village. But it was here, and more importantly, the woman's moans were definitely emanating from inside.
"Hello? Is everything okay? Do you need help?" Lily called into the cave's mouth.
No answer, just the same rhythmic, tortured moans from within.
"Okay, I'm coming in." Lily gripped her sword tighter and slowly inched into the cave, beginning her descent into the moist darkness. She slipped on some rocks as she delved into the cave, but she kept her balance. Waiting for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, she again called out "Is everything okay?" and again, she only heard moans in reply.
It was only now that she realised it wasn't just one woman. Countless moans bounced off the cave walls, surrounding her in the black. Still waiting for her eyes to focus on something - anything - she cursed herself for not making a torch before she entered. "You stupid idiot, Lily!" she thought. She took a step backward, planning to come back once she was actually prepared to explore a cave wherein no natural light had ever shone. Then something grabbed her.
Something whipped around Lily's right arm, coiling tight around her vambrace and long cotton sleeves. Before she could retrieve her
sword with her left hand, it too was grabbed by the same thing. The thing strengthened its grip, making sure Lily couldn't move a muscle. She couldn't see a thing in the dark. All she knew was that she needed to run. She kicked her legs and tried to pull her arms free, but the restraints kept her locked firmly in place. Panic quickly seeped into her mind. Lily started thrashing and hyperventilating as her mind raced with images of being devoured; unknowable creatures ripping her flesh apart while she screamed helplessly.
"Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck," she whispered into the cave. Her panicked profanity was quickly drowned out by the endless, countless moans of the cave. She knew it would be pointless, but yet she tried screaming for help.
The scream echoed within the cave and into the forest outside, but was heard by nobody. The rhythmic moaning continued unabated. Lily drew in another deep breath in preparation for another scream, and opened her mouth. Her second scream was silenced before it even began. Her mouth was instantly violated by something cold, slimy, bitter, and thick. It filled her mouth and probed deeper, inching down into Lily's throat.
Tears rolled down her cheeks as the thing crept past her gag reflex. She tried to fight it, pulling her head away from the tentacle, but it easily followed her. She tried biting it, but her teeth couldn't make a dent in the spongy, rubbery appendage. As it slid into her throat, Lily thought she'd suffocate. She only just managed to keep breathing through her nose. Seconds later, the thing in her throat swelled up and the tip of the tentacle began pumping a thick liquid substance into her esophagus. The hot substance made her stomach tingle as it filled her up. She felt her stomach bloating with the tentacle juice, like she'd drunk too much water way too quickly.