Chapter 19
Belial smiles at Monte as he spits the smoking bullet from his mouth, “Fools.”
From behind Belial step Harris, Margrave, and ten other German and American soldiers.
Oddball lowers his weapon and smiles, “Hey L-T,” and waves.
Monte looks over to Oddball, irked.
Oddball looks to Monte, “What?”
Monte shakes his head in irritation. Belial walks toward the passage, heading for Yusif and Pilch. Monte steps in front of him, blocking his path, “You and me got business.”
Belial raises his hand palm out and sends a blast of energy that knocks Monte to the floor.
“Neat trick,” Monte compliments him as he starts after Pilch again. Monte kicks him in the knee as he passes, with no effect.
“Insolent knave,” Belial says stopping to run him through with his sword.
The sword slips into Monte’s chest and breaks through his back with a wet crunch; he shudders as Belial twists the blade inside of his body. Monte reaches out, and with both hands grabs hold of the blade, keeping Belial in place.
“No!” Oddball screams.
Belial smiles evilly down at Monte and kicks him off the blade with a spray of blood. Monte falls back dead.
Belial looks back to Harris and the undead, “Kill them all,” he orders and then moves down the hallway unopposed.
Chapter 20
Pilch and Yusif walk to the end of the tunnel. Yusif walks with a limp while carrying his scimitar and a Sumerian sword.
Pilch looks to his wound, “You could have let me take the blow.”
“Then, you would be dead.”
“But you’d be OK and have a better chance…”
Yusif interrupts him, “My fate was sealed the day I was born.”
A simple wooden door stands open 30 meters ahead.
“We are here.”
Pilch looks to the wooden door, “That’s it?”
“Yes.”
“Just that shitty wooden door?”
“Mahogany, I believe.”
“The gates to Hell!” and Pilch makes big gestures with his arms, “A fucking mahogany door.”
“I am sorry it is not what you expected.”
A small dog-sized creature emerges from the gateway.
“Hey boy,” Pilch calls and pats his side. The creature opens its mouth and gives a ear-piercing demonic scream.
“What the hell is that?” Pilch cries out in alarm.
Yusif shrugs, “Imp.”
“What the fuck is an imp?” and Pilch looks to see it has a scaly red hide.
“A lesser demon.”
“Lesser?”
“Still very nasty.”
The imp opens its mouth in a growl, and Pilchs’ eyes go wide at seeing multiple rows of razor sharp teeth, “Jesus Christ!”
It charges, its knife-like claws digging into the stone and sending out showers of sparks.
“Excuse me,” Yusif says and steps forward.
The imp lunges for his throat and he neatly cuts it in two.
Pilch looks down at the quivering flesh, “Is there a greater demon?”
“Yes, many sizes.”
Pilch is speechless.
Yusif looks to him, “We must hurry.”
They are both knocked to the ground by an energy blast and look back to see Belial marching toward them.
“I got him, go,” Pilch says climbing to his feet.
“No, it would mean certain death.”
“The gate, it’s more important than you or me.”
Yusif looks into his eyes, “Not to me.”
Yusif stands, swords in hand, facing Belial.
Chapter 21
Harris stares at Oddball, “I never did like you.”
Oddball smirks, “Well that’s just ’cause you didn’t get to know me; I’m a good soldier.”
“I doubt that.”
Oddball throws a grenade he has deftly pulled from the back of his belt. It lands at the feet of the cocky lieutenant. Muller and Vanessa open fire as the grenade explodes. Harris sails into the air with his legs ripping off and going in different directions.
Belial and Yusif fight, swords’ striking together with showers of sparks sailing off.
Belial steps back, “Why do you fight me, son of mine.”
Pilch fires round after round to no effect.
Belial smiles, “Join me like your father’s fathers should have; walk with me hand in hand as we conquer this world.”
Yusif attacks.
Oddball, Muller and Vanessa fight back-to-back. Harris crawls up to Oddball and trips him to the floor.
Oddball falls with a cry, and Harris crawls on top of him, “I’m going to rip your fucking throat out boy!” and he opens his mouth to bite.
Vanessa jams the barrel her pistol into his mouth, “Manners manners.” And she pulls the trigger.
Muller shoots, and the last soldier goes down. He looks around at the bloody carnage, “That wasn’t so bad.”
Oddball stands and looks around at the bodies, “Where’s Monte?”
Vanessa looks around, “You don’t think…”
Mueller nods, “He’s turned.”
They hear the pounding of boots and the battle cry of men.
“That don’t sound good,” Oddball says.
Muller looks down the tunnels. The roar of the charging undead becoming louder. He sighs, “A glorious death.”
“I was hoping for a glorious life,” Vanessa tells him.
“Yeah, that sounds better,” Oddball agrees.
Hundreds of undead are charging for them.
“Oh well,” Vanessa sighs.
Pilch moves in to try and hit Belial in the back. Belial kicks Yusif to the ground and uses an energy bolt to send Pilch sailing down the passage, landing hard. Belial turns to Yusif who struggles to get to his feet, battered and injured. Belial draws his sword back for the deathblow.
“I told ya’. You and me got business,” Monte stands ready, Sumerian sword in hand.
Belial turns and smiles, “You are my servant now,” and Belial extends his palm trying to bend Monte to his will. Monte stares him down holding strong but then slowly begins to falter under his will.
“Now, kill for me,” and Belial closes his hand into a fist. Monte fights for control; he looks back to Pilch who lays on the ground defenseless.
“Kill him,” Belial orders.
Monte fights to bring his head around and look at Belial, “No!”
Yusif stands behind Belial, and with a cry, runs his sword into his back. Belial doesn’t flinch; he looks down at the blade extending from his chest and smiles. Yusif twists the blade with no effect, and Belial swings his arm back hitting Yusif in the face and sending him to the ground, “You don’t have the power to defeat me, your family never has.”
“But I do,” and Monte thrust his sword into Belial’s chest coming face to face with him, “Undead to undead, you gotta go,” and Monte rips the blade out, dropping Belial to his knees.
“Mercy,” he cries.
Monte swings his blade, sending Belial’s head skipping down the passage and through the gate. Belial’s body explodes in a burst of energy, and Monte is thrown to the ground.
Muller, Oddball, and Vanessa all fire into the ranks of the approaching undead. They’re almost on them.
“Save a round,” Muller advises them.
Vanessa looks to him.
“For yourself,” and Muller turns his pistol on his own head. Vanessa and Oddball look at each other and do the same.
Oddball looks into her eyes, “I hope they made it.”
The undead are on them. Oddball locks the hammer back on his pistol, “I think it would have been good.”