Twining was being ripped to shreds by bullets from the guns of Morgan and Samantha, while Eidolon was busy ensuring that the pestilence-dealing member of the Circus was not going to revive.
Satan himself was backing away from the scene, not stopping until his back pressed up against the bark of the great old tree that dominated the Hill.
Lazarus Gray and Abby Cross were standing side-by-side, facing him. Gray’s features were as impassive as always but Abby looked furious, as if all the emotion that Satan had denied her in recent times was now being unleashed in a vast torrent.
Lazarus brandished a dagger in his right hand, one whose hilt bore the familiar insignia of The Illuminati. Doctor Satan recognized it as one of their ceremonial blades, used to wound eldritch entities. Not nearly as powerful as the fabled Knives of Elohim, the blades were still quite deadly to someone like Satan.
“It’s time to surrender,” Lazarus told him. “You’ve lost.”
“I’m not done quite yet,” Satan retorted. “I still have schemes within schemes.”
Abby raised both hands, which sparkled with blue fire. “You love to talk, don’t you?”
Satan pointed a finger at her and bellowed, “Serve thy master!”
An immediate change came over Abby as the conditioning she’d been subjected to returned to the fore. The blank affect that marked her time as Satan’s slave was back, too, as her facial expression became smooth and devoid of life.
Whirling upon Lazarus, she whispered, “Death clings to this man like a funeral shroud.”
Lazarus recognized the words and knew he was in trouble. Abby discharged her energy blast at him, knocking him off his feet. He flew back and landed in the dirt, right in the same spot where a teenaged girl had been brutalized years before.
Raising himself slowly off the ground, Lazarus saw that Abby approached. “Stop this,” he said. “Don’t let him turn you into a puppet!”
“That’s all men ever want to do,” she replied woodenly. “Doctor Satan… you… all want to make me into their puppet.”
“That’s never what I wanted to do.”
“Soldiers in your little war,” she continued, as if not hearing him. She raised her hands again, preparing to unleash a killing burst of energy. “Fighting in your name. Dying in your name.”
“It was never meant to be my war,” Lazarus replied, tossing his knife to the ground. He stood before her without any weapons, ready to face whatever came next. “All of you needed something to believe in. That’s what I gave you. The war you talk about is just fighting to keep the world safe for those beliefs that you have. We fight for friendship, for idealism, for freedom and for the security of those we love. If that’s the war you’re speaking of, then yes, that’s a war that I’d gladly fight again and again.” He raised both hands, in a gesture of submission. “And I’m betting that you feel the same way. If not… then strike me down and go join your dark lord.”
Abby hesitated, the energy still swirling about her fingers.
“Kill him!” Satan shouted, knowing that this moment was the key. If she struck Lazarus down, she would be his forever, body and soul. They could flee this place and begin their plans anew, letting Assistance Unlimited have this costly victory for their own. Without their leader, they would not pose a serious threat in the future.
Lazarus stared into Abby’s eyes. “Don’t fight anybody else’s war, Abby. Not mine. Not his. Fight your own.”
Abby threw back her head and screamed. As she did, energy flew from her eyes, her nose and her mouth. She fairly exploded with magical power, mystic forces which had been chained up within her for these long months, growing twisted and dark under the manipulations of Doctor Satan.
Now those energies engulfed all three of them — Satan, Lazarus and Abby herself. They were all wrapped up in a brightly glowing bubble of pure emotional force that lit up the night and sent all those standing on the Hill with them tumbling away in shock and awe.
The battle was over but the victors were yet to be determined.
In the aftermath, The Darkling and Eidolon were the first to recover. They were both on their hands and knees, looking up into the dimly receding light. Farther down the hill, Morgan and Samantha were unconscious, both lying against the other.
Of the Circus, there was nothing remaining other than bits of bone and gore.
But it was what had become of Abby, Doctor Satan and Lazarus Gray that made The Darkling’s heart suddenly skip a beat: the three combatants were locked within that glowing field, though it had died down in scope and brightness. The trio faced each other in a circle, unblinking and not moving.
“Check on your friends,” The Darkling said hoarsely, knowing that Eidolon would do as he commanded. Approaching the glowing trio, The Darkling felt the hairs on the nape of his neck begin to rise — this was a major eldritch event, one that could have terrible effects if left unchecked. Though the glow had lessened, the field itself was widening — The Darkling could see it spreading, inch by inch, in all directions from the trio.
Girding himself, The Darkling thrust a hand into the glowing field. He felt a tingling on his skin but nothing more. For a moment, he wondered if it would be wise to enter the slowly expanding light… if he did and was immobilized like the others, then he could do nothing to help resolve the situation. Perhaps, though, the paralyses resulted from their proximity to Abby’s initial spell and not anything more?
Never one to hesitate before making difficult decisions, The Darkling stepped forward, allowing his entire body to pass into the glowing passage. Thankfully, he retained his ability to think and move… what was more, he discovered that while inside the field, he could see that the others were still active, as well. What he’d seen from the outside was nothing more than their frozen reflections and not a true indicator of their current activity.
Lazarus held Doctor Satan by his cloak, the villain sagging as if he were unconscious. A low groan escaped the killer’s lips but his eyes were rolled back into his skull, leaving only the whites showing.
“I don’t know what I did,” Abby said, though her words broke off when she saw The Darkling. A cold fury settled over her face, which was consistent with how she’d viewed The Darkling ever since he’d found her and Eidolon in the safe house. “This must be Hell,” she muttered. “Doctor Satan and The Darkling? I couldn’t ask for worse company.”
“The entire world might be joining you in here soon,” The Darkling responded. He nodded at Doctor Satan, who hit the ground as Lazarus released his grip. “I’m glad to see someone gave him a throttling. He deserves worse.”
“What do you mean about the rest of the world joining us?” Lazarus asked.
“The field that’s surrounding us is expanding.” He gestured toward a small bush that had not been with them a moment before. “At this rate, we’ll swallow up Morgan and Samantha very soon.” He pressed a hand against the interior wall of the field and felt it resist his attempts to pass through. “I think this place exists outside of normal time and space. From the outside, it looks like all of you are frozen in amber.” He knelt down and picked up a small flower — it seemed unnaturally brittle and it crumbled under his touch. “I wonder if the field is affecting us similarly?”
Lazarus looked back at Abby, who seemed very concerned. “Can you undo this?”
“I’m not sure how I did it in the first place,” she replied. “I just felt all this rage bubbling up inside of me… and then it just… exploded!”
“I need you to draw as much of this ambient energy as possible back into your body,” Lazarus said, reaching out to place his hands on her arms.