“Is Mass… Is he alive?” Amanda asked.
“This demon said so, although he’s hurt. I couldn’t work out everything the demon said, but it sounds like Mass and his team were in a bus crash.”
“Where is this demon? I want to speak with it.”
“Don’t be reckless,” said Thomas.
“I’m not being reckless. I can handle myself against a single demon, no matter what it’s planning.”
“I assumed you would think that,” said Diane. “That’s why we brought the demon here. It calls itself Dave”
Thomas spluttered, “Dave?”
“Yes, Dave. Tom, could you bring it in, please?”
Maddy tried to see underneath the desk. This wasn’t something she wanted to miss. As it was, she would just have to listen. There were sounds of something small shuffling into the room, chains rattling. Diane would have taken precautions, and the demon was likely in handcuffs.
“Hello, yes, General. Wick… Staff, yes?”
“Yes, I am General Wickstaff. What do you have to tell me?”
There was a squawk of a radio, and the conversation was interrupted. Tom was the one who spoke after receiving the message. “There’s a pack of demons approaching the gate. Nothing we can’t handle, but we should be there to monitor things.”
“Go,” said Wickstaff. “Both of you get a full report and bring it back to me.”
“What about… Dave?” asked Diane.
“General Thomas and I will be quite all right. I’ve known larger six-year-olds.”
“This could be a trap,” said Thomas. “Be careful.”
“I always am. Diane, Tom, get going. Report back to me ASAP.”
Maddy heard shuffling feet and the closing of the door. She smelt the stink of rancid flesh.
“What do you have to tell me… Dave?”
“Message from Smithy and Mass.”
“I don’t know anyone named Smithy.”
“Urban Vampire, yes?”
Wickstaff cleared her throat. “Mass sent you? Could you describe him?”
“Large man, small hair.”
Maddy frowned. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
“Yes, well, I suppose one might describe him that way. Where is he? Is he hurt?”
“Yes. All hurt. Wagon break. Wagon fall. Men and demons nasty fight. Send help.”
“Yes, of course. Do you know where we can find this… wagon?”
“Many walking. Farm and fields. Dave see.”
Thomas grunted. “Needle in a haystack.”
Wickstaff shushed him. “Dave, you shall show us the way, yes?”
“Yes. I show. Follow boats backwards.”
“Okay. Thank you for reporting this. I shall see that you are—”
“More tell,” said the demon. “More message.”
“Okay, speak.”
“Big light, you see?”
Maddy knew what the demon was referring to. The horizon had been glowing orange at night, something far in the distance. The assumption was that some giant structure was burning – a power plant, perhaps.
“What do you know about the light?” Amanda asked.
“It is gate. Biggest gate you see. All the way to clouds and birds. Giant gate. Danger come. Mass give message and Dave give.”
“Could it be true?” said Thomas. “A new gate?”
“Is true,” said the demon. “Yes, gate, yes.”
“Okay,” said Wickstaff. “One thing at a time. We need to find Mass. In the meantime, I need you to stick around a while longer, Thomas. I need you to help prepare Portsmouth against an attack while I go out and bring home my boy.”
“Don’t be a fool. You’re needed here.”
“That’s the benefit of having two generals in Portsmouth. We can afford to lose one.”
“I strongly advise you stay. You can’t put the fate of a small group of men above the whole of Portsmouth.”
“That’s where we differ, General. I value one life the same as all lives. If you start leaving men to die then the whole thing falls apart. I’ll assemble a team and leave at once. I’ll take an army if I have to.”
“Those men will be needed here if we are attacked. It’s the wrong call.”
“It’s my call,” said Wickstaff firmly.
“Well, maybe it shouldn’t be.”
There was a sudden punching sound, followed by what might have been someone gasping. Maddy didn’t know what had happened until she saw the blood dripping onto the floorboards. It crept towards her, moving through the narrow cracks in the floorboards. She opened her mouth to scream, but covered her mouth and held her breath.
“Why kill friend?” asked the demon, sounding genuinely confused.
“I didn’t kill her,” said Thomas. “You did.”
There was a gunshot, and this time, Maddy did let out a squeal. The demon’s corpse hit the floor, and she waited to see whether Thomas had heard her scream.
“Help! Guards, I need help.”
Maddy heard rushing footsteps followed by the door swinging open. Voices she recognised spoke – Thomas’s own guards. Then Thomas spoke. “General Wickstaff needs help. The enemy sent an assassin and the stupid woman fell for its tricks. Damn you, Amanda. Damn you. What are you pair waiting for? Get help.”
The footsteps retreated.
Maddy could see a shadow on the floor that she knew was Amanda’s body. She couldn’t hide any longer. She stood up slowly and faced the room. General Thomas saw her and gasped, but she ignored him. She stared down at Amanda and knew she was dead. Her throat was slashed wide open. Somewhere on his person, Thomas had a knife covered in her blood. The demon was dead too. It was a tiny thing, almost like a child. A bloody hole split the centre of its chest.
“What did you do?” She muttered it at first, but then she roared. “What did you do?”
Thomas was shocked stiff, and she knew it was because he had no idea what to do. Then he rushed at her, gun raised above his head. Maddy saw it coming down towards her temple, but it was too late. The floor came up to meet her, and she landed on her face beside Amanda.
“Maddy, wake up.”
For a moment, Maddy thought she was buried. She opened her eyes and it was still pitch-black. Then light spilled into her world and gave her a headache. A face stared down at her. It was Colonel Cross.
“T-Tony?”
Tony smiled. “Yes. Keep your voice down.”
She looked left and right. She was lying in bed. Her bed. “W-What happened?”
“You don’t remember?”
She thought a moment, then felt like being sick. “Amanda. Amanda! He fucking killed her. Thomas is a murderer.”
Tony’s eyes flickered, and he seemed sad – disappointed even. “So it was him. I was really hoping it wasn’t. Diane told me that the demon wouldn’t have hurt a fly.”
“D-Diane came to you?”
Cross nodded. “Apparently, Wickstaff had mentioned trusting me to be a good man. She came to see me earlier to tell me Wickstaff was dead and that General Thomas had taken charge. The whole thing sounded dodgy, and Diane said there was no way the little demon had done it.”
Maddy shook her head. “The demon came to give Amanda a message. Thomas killed them both and said it was an assassin. Then he hit me.”
“He’s going to have some men come by later and kill you. I know because one of those men came and reported it to me. They all liked Wickstaff and they know that you and she were… close. It’s not adding up for a lot of people. Still, some of those men will be by later to take care of you, but you’re not going to be here.”
“W-What? Where then?”
“Kielder Forest Park.” He smiled, seeming to understand how little that made sense. “Before bringing the demon to Wickstaff, Diane questioned it for almost an hour about everything it knew. One of the most interesting things it mentioned was a group of survivors in a forest up north. They have a castle.”
“A castle?”
<
br /> “A pretty perfect place to live nowadays, wouldn’t you say? Anyway, you have a boat ticket waiting for you. I’m getting you out of here.”
“How? If Thomas wants me dead, he’ll never let me out of here.”
“That’s why we need to be quick about it. Can you get out of bed?”
She moved her arms, then her legs. “Yes.”
“Get up then!”
Maddy got out of bed and realised she was still topless. Cross stared at her a moment and then glanced away while she grabbed a blouse from her closet. Once dressed, she hurried with him to the door.
There were two guards outside, but neither tried to stop her. “This is Carl and Martin. They’re here to make sure you don’t escape, but after reflection they’ve decided to do the opposite. They’re heading north with you. So are another thirty Portsmouth men who Diane has arranged to keep you safe.”
“W-What about Diane? Is she coming?”
“I tried to convince her but she wouldn’t have it. She said she needs to stay here and keep people safe. For what it’s worth, I’ll be doing the same.”
Maddy deflated. She was getting more and more frightened by the second. “You aren’t coming either?”
“I’m the only person who can stick close to Thomas. Things are going to get tricky here, and I want to be around to try to keep things from falling completely to shit. Don’t worry, my allegiance is no longer to Thomas. I used to respect his vision of the big picture, but he lost that when he killed Wickstaff for his own gain.”
“I’m going to kill him. Take me to him.”
“No, he’s surrounded by guards. He’s waiting to see where the chips fall. You might get your chance one day, but not tonight. Come on.”
Tony and the two guards led her outside onto the docks. There, she found a military uniform waiting for her along with a baseball cap. “Put it on,” Tony said.
She got dressed quickly, keeping her own clothes on underneath. Then the small group hurried across the docks towards the quayside. There, as always, several massive warships waited. “Which one?” she asked. “Who is taking me on board?”
“A friend,” said Tony.
“A friend?” And then she saw him. Commander Tosco stood beside a stack of containers, hiding in their shadows. Guards looked down on their meeting from several perches, but it must have merely looked like a pair of officers with their guards having a chat.
“Commander Tosco,” said Tony. “How’s the water tonight?”
“Smooth. Perfect conditions for a pleasant trip.” He looked at Maddy. “How you doing?”
She shook her head, wanting to cry as the death of Amanda weighed on her. “Not good, Tosco. Not good at all.”
“Well, let me get you out of here and then we can talk about it.”
“Why are you doing this? If Thomas finds out, he’ll have you shot.”
“I’m not coming back,” said Tosco. “I’ll be with you all the way.”
Maddy shook her head. “But why? All you’ve worked for…”
“It was time for me to pick a side. Come on, The Hatchet is waiting for us.”
Maddy turned to Tony and didn’t know what to say. She wanted to kiss him, but that would only hurt her heart, because the person she wanted to kiss most of all was now dead. “What are you going to do now, Tony?”
“I’m going to find your friends. Sounds like they’re in trouble.”
“You’re going to find Mass?”
He nodded. “He sounds like a man we could do with having around.”
“He is. Find him and tell him what happened, and… keep Diane safe.”
“That girl can look after herself, but I promise I won’t let anything happen to her.”
“Then I guess this is goodbye.”
He smiled. “For now. Good luck, Maddy.”
“You too.”
Maddy turned to Tosco and let him lead her to The Hatchet. It was time to leave Portsmouth. Time to find a new home. And then she would come back and kill Thomas.
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
Damien stood on the battlefield with his allies. Harry, Stephanie, Nancy, and a demon with his ward. It was not how he had ever seen his life going, but somehow he had become a war hero.
Indiana was free, the Hoosier Army victorious today against the last-known demon army. There had been six gates in the state and now all six were closed. Damien had discovered an ability to close them by touching them. No one was required to commit suicide.
They had lost thousands of people today, but they had died for this moment. This moment where the demons were finally beaten. Word was coming in from nearby states of similar victories, but their wars were separate. Indiana was the first state to declare itself free of demons, and there was an army over ten thousand strong at the ready to keep it that way.
“We did it,” said Stephanie. “We beat them.”
“In our corner of the world, yes,” said Damien. “The fight isn’t over yet though. Our previous battles were easier than this one. The demons were… confused, but today they were back to their old selves.”
“Yes,” said the large demon lord, Sorrow. “They are once again under the thrall of the Red Lord. He has returned from wherever he has been. His final attempt to rid this world of humanity will soon come.”
“So we need to be there when it does,” said Harry. “I still have some fighting left in me.”
“Damn straight,” said Scarlett. “I’m up for killing the big bad.”
Damien turned to Sorrow. The demon had a weak connection to Hell – and as such, one to the Red Lord as well. “Where is he? Where do we need to be to beat him?”
Sorrow furrowed his thick brow. His jet-black wings flapped behind him. “England.”
Nancy flinched. England was a painful place for her. Her children, Kyle and Alice had died there. Damien put his arm around her. “No time to lose, right? Are we all game?”
Everybody was. They were all ready for the final battle. They joined hands, closed their eyes, and opened a gate with ease. It was no longer a difficult task. Damien was a path walker, and these were his totems. “Say your goodbyes and get what you need. This will be a one-way trip.”
Ted was tending to Jackie’s grave in the meadow at the bottom of the hill. It was getting late, and he would need to leave now if he wanted to have dinner with the others. He could barely believe he had been here six months already. It was home.
And he hadn’t been idle during that time. The castle was now surrounded by a wooden palisade, and the woods had been cleared for a hundred metres in all directions. They had dug a moat and installed stakes along it. Everyone now had a bow and arrow and some skill in using it. Crops were growing in the nearby fields and livestock had been collected from adjacent farms. They had survived long enough that they were now starting to live.
But he never slept at night. He always lay there, ears wide open and listening for the next attack. That no demons had approached the castle since Caligula had attacked was a miracle. It felt like too much of one to take for granted. The war for mankind wasn’t over yet. The scouts still detected demons and there was still a gate about twenty miles north. The enemy was hurt but not finished. And they didn’t have enough people or supplies at the castle to risk taking the battle to the enemy.
They needed help.
A wind rose up, gathering leaves. Ted’s nose detected a metallic twang that reminded him of blood, and a shiver raced its way along his spine. The air felt wrong, like the moments before a storm arrived.
“Time to get back behind the wall, I think. Something ain’t right.”
The nearby woods lit up suddenly, and Ted was sure the attack had finally come. He had known it would, eventually. A gate had appeared, and soon demons would spill through it and overwhelm them all. They had been living on borrowed time.
Angry, enraged, and afraid, Ted picked up his hammer and stalked towards the trees. The more demons he killed, the less that the others wo
uld have to face.
The first demon approached, a massive being with impossibly black wings that seemed to capture the light and consume it. Some kind of a leader like Caligula had been. He would focus on trying to kill that first instead of the… humans that were with it.
What was this? Why were two dozen humans carrying rifles coming out of a gate with a massive demon? What was going on? Who were they?
An average-looking young man stepped to the front. He waved a hand as if to show he was friendly and then said, “Are you alone?”
Ted’s eyes narrowed. “No, and if you came here looking for trouble, you’ll have a fight on your hands.”
The young man grinned. “It looks like we came to the right place. My name is Damien. I came here to help. I have fighters with me and we brought gifts.”
Ted frowned, and nothing happened for a few moments until a pair of tough-looking men dumped a pair of massive crates on the ground. Then they opened them to reveal a stack of high-powered assault rifles and an endless trove of ammo.
Ted ran his eyes over the group. There were thirty men at least, all carrying weapons and wearing armour. “Who the hell are you people?”
“We’re guardian angels,” said a young girl moving to the front of the group. “We’re here to help end this war against the demons once and for all, but first” – she grabbed her tummy and did an awkward wiggle – “I really need to use your toilet.”
Ted blinked, utterly confused, but then he pointed an arm up the hill towards the castle. “You’d better follow me.”
6. Rebirth
“Bravery is being the only one who knows you’re afraid.”
Franklin P. Jones.
“Everybody fights demons. Some are worse than others.”
John Daly
“What the fuck does WTF mean?”
Gary King, World’s End (2013),
1
“And so you see, Hitler’s great mistake was going to war with the Soviet Union. It split his forces in two and spread them too thin. Even more grievous was the German leader’s underestimation of Russian winter and the country’s poorly maintained roads. The Nazi forces froze to death without ever making it back home.” Mrs Malone looked at the clock on the wall and then at her watch. “Okay, you lot, that’s it for today. Tomorrow, we’ll talk about the things World War Two gave us, like the jet engine and penicillin.”
Hell On Earth Box Set | Books 1-6 Page 137