by Julie Hall
Pfft. Yeah right. It simply meant I was starting to recognize battles I wasn’t going to win.
“You guys.” Something about the tone of Romona’s voice caught me off guard. “Maybe we should start looking for that shelter sooner rather than later.”
The mountain range that had been our steadfast landmark was still with us, but in this ring, it wasn’t simply ugly . . . it was angry. The pustules that had leaked molten lava in the previous rings were spewing it freely here. They were also spontaneously erupting on the mountainside like exploding zits.
One of which had just appeared several hundred feet above our heads. Its contents were headed straight for us.
“Move!” Joe commanded.
As a unit, we ran forward into the hazy mess. We weren’t going to luck out and find shelter in the mountain this time.
5
Shelter
Hours later, we were still traveling on high alert. We grouped close together because if one of us strayed too far, there was danger of being swallowed by the dense fog. The shrieks that occasionally emanated from it were far from comforting. Kaitlin jumped more than once at the sounds.
My blade was out and on a near-constant swivel. The whoosh of the fire as I swung the weapon back and forth to ward off the inevitable attack grated on my already frayed nerves.
The sense of demons—everywhere—never dissipated.
Sweat dripped down my back and between my shoulder blades. My arms shook with fatigue. The strain I’d felt ever since the ninth ring was now evident on all my companions’ faces, save Joe’s. I didn’t take any satisfaction from the fact that my friends were finally experiencing my level of discomfort.
To my left, Romona stumbled. She took several shaky steps before losing the battle against gravity and landing on her hands and knees.
I sheathed my blade and helped her to her feet. She teetered a bit before finding her footing then sent me a weary smile and nod of thanks. Sweat dotted her brow and upper lip, and her breathing was labored despite our slow pace. Lines of exhaustion ringed her eyes, and she weaved as if drunk.
“Joe,” I whisper-yelled to our leader. When he turned toward me, I jerked my chin in Romona’s direction.
His lips thinned to a grim line.
“Almost there,” he called back.
I cringed at the volume. Despite Joe’s assurance that no demons were close enough to attack us, the creepy feeling in my gut said otherwise.
A few long minutes later, Joe held up his hand, signaling us to stop.
Romona sank to her knees. I watched her with concern. The others in the group were bent over, hands on knees and sucking in air as if they’d just run a marathon.
Phantom pain still zinged throughout my body, causing me to jerk from time to time with the intensity. Fatigue weighted my limbs, but at least I could remain upright. Perhaps my earlier exposure to this discomfort had conditioned my body for the hardships of the sixth ring? Or maybe the little “nap” I’d taken allowed me to rest when the others hadn’t gotten that luxury? Referring to the experience of Logan’s torture as a luxury seemed beyond wrong, but I couldn’t ignore the fact my body had the chance to refresh while my friends had hauled my unconscious form through an entire ring.
Joe was hunched over a spot on the ground, doing who knew what. His lips and hands were moving, reminding me of the first time we’d met—back in a time outside of time—when he’d literally created the heavenly realm in front of my eyes. There was a strain to his face that hadn’t been there before.
A moment later, the ground shook beneath our feet. The other hunters jumped and pulled out their weapons, searching with wild eyes for the perceived threat. I was too busy watching the hole growing at Joe’s feet to join them.
What the what? Are those stairs?
When the shaking stopped, Joe stood and called us forward.
Kevin’s eyes grew when he spotted the hole that had appeared while he was scanning for threats. The rest of my friends simply shifted their weight back and forth with unsmiling faces. I’d wager a guess none of us were wild about going down there. We stood in a circle, looking into the darkness.
“Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.”
Had Jonathon not been standing right next to me, I might not have heard his whispered words.
“Huh?”
Jonathon didn’t spare me a look; he only rolled his eyes.
“Is that from Dante’s Inferno?” I pressed. “Weren’t you already dead by the time that was written?”
“No. I’m not that old,” he sneered. “Did you remember that from a ‘quote-a-day’ calendar?”
Ouch . . . and he wasn’t wrong.
I held up my hands in defense. “Geez, sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
Okay, new strategy when dealing with Jonathon: Ignore his presence entirely. He seemed to prefer it that way.
A set of stairs led into a black abyss. Joe took the first step into the dark hole.
“Come on,” he said. “We’ll rest here for a while. You all need it.”
“You want us to follow you into a black hole in the ground. Deeper into Hell?” There was a wild glint in Kevin’s eyes when he spoke. He took a step away from the rest of us.
I got it. This was unnerving but hardly the scariest thing we’d encountered so far. I mean, come on, zombie trees for the win. At least Joe was offering us a break. My weary body screamed for rest even as my mind rioted against anything that would slow our mission, but if we were going to be in any shape to rescue Logan, we all needed a breather.
Joe motioned the rest of us down before him as he went to Kevin, laying a hand on his shoulder and quietly speaking to him.
I strained my ears to hear their conversation even as I took my first step into the hole, but I couldn’t catch a single word. Disappointed, I focused on following Kaitlin into the darkness. On the tenth stair, I lost sight of her completely. Only the sound of her feet crunching on the steps assured me she was still there. I settled my gloved hand on the grooved wall to steady myself and continued my descent.
“I’m at the bottom,” Romona called up. “Careful walking. The ground is uneven down here.”
Figures.
“Ouch!” Kaitlin yelped. “A little heads-up about the ceiling height would have been nice, Romona. Anyone have something to light this place up?”
“Oops, sorry. Anyone taller than Audrey and me needs to watch their head.” Romona yelled up.
The belated warning echoed off the walls of the darkened chamber.
I reached the bottom without realizing and took a stumble-step forward, knocking into what I assumed was Kaitlin’s back. We both staggered several uneven steps before righting ourselves.
“Yikes! Sorry.”
“That’s okay. It’s impossible to see down here.”
“What in the world are you girls doing?” Jonathon’s perturbed voice was close enough that I knew he was about to walk right into me.
I spun around and put my hands up. They connected with overheated body armor a milli-second later. “Whoa there.”
“Don’t touch me,” Jonathon spat, and he swatted my hands away.
I heaved a frustrated sigh. Geez, it’s not like I was trying to cop a feel. Would he rather have run into my back? I wanted to march farther ahead of him, but in the total black that engulfed us, I wasn’t sure what I’d run into. Scooting as close to Kaitlin as possible, I kept my mouth shut.
“We’re coming,” Joe called down to us. “I’ll start a fire in a moment so you all can see.”
I heard, rather than saw, Joe and Kevin shuffle into the space with us. After several long moments, a spark ignited off to my right. By the time I’d fully turned my head in that direction, a small flame danced on Joe’s palm. I cocked my head and blinked.
Joe transferred the light to a fire pit in the far corner of a small enclosure. The flame grew in size until a full-fledged fire, large enough to light the entire space, blazed. I had no idea what material was actually b
urning. The already oppressive heat ratcheted up, the space becoming almost too hot to breathe in, but I preferred the heat to the darkness.
“Holy fire,” Kaitlin whispered in my ear. “It burns clean so we don’t need a vent.”
Right. Had I been thinking clearly, I could have pulled my sword out a minute ago to act as a torch.
Joe put his hands flat on the soil beneath our feet, and the ground shook again. Loose dirt fell around us in dusty waves. Coughing, I glanced toward the stairs and found they were gone. I shivered.
We were literally encased in earth and stone. Kaitlin, Romona, and Jonathon looked around our surroundings with eyes filled with unease, but at least they were holding it together. Kevin was hunched over; his unblinking gaze darted from the floor to ceiling, and his breaths came out in snorts. He was one second away from hyperventilating.
Joe motioned for us to sit as he went back over to Kevin, murmuring something in soothing tones. Kevin squeezed his eyes shut and nodded. A violent tremor shook his body before he sank to the ground with the rest of us.
Someone was not comfortable in enclosed spaces. But who could blame him? I felt both oppressed and oddly safe in our mini-sanctuary.
Just don’t think about it, I chanted to myself.
There was enough space for all of us to lie down if we wanted, but that was about it. Sleeping on the uneven, rocky ground was going to be challenging. I looked around at my companions, some of whom were practically sleeping sitting up. Exhaustion would make up for the lack of comfort in this refuge.
“We’ll stay here for a few hours,” Joe announced. “You all need the rest. I expect to reach Logan tomorrow, so use this time to recharge.”
The statement was met with nodded heads and softly spoken thanks as my friends all shuffled into as much of a comfortable position as possible. Joe waved his hand in the direction of the fire, and the light dimmed.
I tried to settle, but as much as I squirmed, I couldn’t find a position where something sharp wasn’t poking me. It was distracting. And annoying.
I flipped over again . . . and swallowed a scream. Joe was hunched down in front of me, with his knees bent and his weight resting on the balls of his feet. I pressed a hand to my chest and felt my heart pumping furiously.
“I thought we could talk now.” Joe spoke softly, probably so he wouldn’t disturb the group.
“Okay, yeah.” I nodded and pushed myself up on my elbows. Quiet snores rose from behind me. My money was on Kevin.
Joe sank down into a seated position while I carefully wiggled up into one as well, careful not to disturb Kaitlin to my left. I bumped her once and turned to apologize, only to find her out cold, her even breaths in tune with the rest of the sleeping forms in the dirt bunker.
No worries about being overheard, I suppose.
“You have questions,” Joe started.
“When don’t I?”
He chuckled. “An inquisitive heart was stitched into the very fibers of your being. It’s part of what makes you, you.” He held his hands out as if that explained everything.
“O-kay. So, my demon radar?” I left the question open ended.
Joe’s lips pressed together, but the corners of his mouth tipped up. I waited for several moments before he spoke. As if he needed that time to compose himself. “Audrey, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, you have certain . . . abilities and skills, that most hunters or others who have passed on to our realm do not possess.”
“Yep. Flaming sword was the first thing that tipped me off.”
Again with the pressed-together lips. I got the impression he was finding something I was saying amusing. He reminded me of Hugo.
“Right, well, the flaming sword isn’t the only thing that has set you apart. Being able to sense the presence of demons is another.”
I nodded at him to continue.
“Just as the power from your sword comes from Hugo, sensing demons comes from me.”
He leaned back a bit, as if that was explanation enough. My mouth dropped.
Ah, no. “Let’s back up,” I whispered. “The flames from my sword are actually Hugo’s power. Check. I got that one. But sensing demons? That’s not an external thing; that’s an internal one. I don’t get it. And more importantly, why am I the only one who has that ability?”
“Audrey, I am part of you. I am part of your very soul. You were made in Our image.”
“But wasn’t everyone else as well?” I gestured to the sleeping forms around us.
“Yes, of course.”
“But I’m the only one with demon-dar.”
“Demon-dar, huh?”
“It seems like a fitting description.”
He laughed under his breath.
“You’re not wrong about that. There is no short answer for your question. Nor should every question be answered. But to attempt a short answer anyway—you’ve been equipped with everything you need. And so your . . . demon-dar . . . is just another talent you’ve been given to fulfill your purpose. If you didn’t need it, you wouldn’t have it.” He smiled at me, knowing full well I wouldn’t be satisfied with that response.
“But—”
“Get some sleep, Audrey. And learn to trust that the Creator not only has a plan but your best interests in mind as well.”
I scrunched my nose and bit my tongue to keep from peppering him with questions. When Joe was done talking, that was that. Didn’t mean I had to like it though.
I awoke to the ground trembling beneath me, coughing and choking on dry dirt that swirled in the air. The rest of our group was in various states of waking up as well. All except Joe, who stood with his eyes fixed on the low ceiling above.
“What’s going on?” Jonathon asked after a coughing fit subsided.
I already knew what Joe’s answer would be, thanks to the familiar rolling in my gut.
“It’s a horde of demons passing right above us,” he answered.
“Dude, that’s not cool.” Kevin’s knees were pressed against his chest with his arms squeezing them tight. An impressive feat for such a tall guy. The whites of his eyes practically glowed in the low lighting. He rocked back and forth gently with his head immobile, staring at nothing but the wall of rock across from him.
If we stayed down here much longer, he was going to either lose it or turn so introspective who knew when we’d be able to snap him out of it?
“Once they pass, we’re going to head out. We’re almost to the end of this ring; then we’ll be able to cross into the fifth. The one where Logan is being held.”
Joe lowered his gaze. His eyes passed over each of us briefly. “I won’t lie to you. We will come into contact with opposition before we reach him. The most important thing from here on out is to make sure we get Audrey to Logan.”
“Me?” I squeaked.
Five sets of eyes blinked back at me. I mean, yeah, I wanted to be there when we set Logan free, but why was it so important that I be the one to make it there? Was it something to do with our bond?
“This is your mission, Audrey,” Joe said, answering my unasked question. Knowing he could get into my head that easily was freaky. “I can send the rest of them back at any time if I need to, but you’re the one who’s going to have to free Logan. It’s the way it was meant to be.”
The way it was meant to be? Cryptic much?
Wouldn’t that play exactly into Satan’s plans? In my vision, he’d been clear that Logan was the bait to lure me to him. I still didn’t know why.
Terror punched my gut like I’d been run through with a rusty blade. I rammed my reaction down, hiding my fear.
Joe’s gaze lingered on me a moment longer before he scanned the faces of my friends. “So that means it’s all of your jobs to ensure she makes it there. Got it?”
There were nods all around. While he’d been speaking, the rumbling from above stopped, and it left an eerie sort of quiet in its wake.
Joe placed his hand on the wall. Another mini-earthquake revealed the set o
f stairs we’d used to descend into this pit.
We scrambled to our feet. A world of horrors might be waiting above, but I was ready to leave this tight enclosure. The feeling of being buried alive was a little too strong within its walls.
Joe motioned for us to follow him. We shuffled in his wake; somehow I found myself at the rear of our little train. The moment I placed my foot on the bottom step, the fire that had lit the cave extinguished, pitching me in almost complete blackness.
A chill skated up my spine despite the oppressive heat. I used the wall as my guide as I ascended until some of the unnatural light from above filtered down.
When I reached the surface, my companions had already formed a semi-circle around me, all facing out with weapons drawn. Whatever might or might not be out there was shrouded in a thick layer of fog.
How had I forgotten about the fog? Or the smell?
Barf.
The assault on my nose was worse than I remembered.
“Let’s move,” Joe said.
We fell in step together and progressed as if we were a single being—yet this time I found myself surrounded on all sides.
I rolled my eyes.
Was this really necessary? I was the one with the sword loaded with holy fire. Shouldn’t I be given a prime defensive position?
I elbowed my way to the front between Kevin and Joe. Kevin tried to push me back into place, but I pulled out my sword, looked pointedly at the flames, and then back at him with lifted brows. He shook his head but didn’t try to reposition me again.
No attack came. The farther we marched, the less I remembered to be on my guard and the more my mind wandered. Between my Logan-GPS and my overactive demon-dar, my insides were a mess.
Everything was going fine . . . until Romona’s pain-filled scream pierced the silence.
6
Demons
I swung around. Kaitlin and Jonathon were spinning in circles, looking for Romona, who up until a moment before had been right between them.
“Where is she?” I yelled, no longer caring about detection.