by Kenny Soward
“Walking across the sands of Hell, the very ground of our enemies, knowing we were right in their backyard and that it was us this time in their world, was amazing. Blessed be the Lord.”
“I want to go in next,” a commando said.
“So do I,” said another. “Give ‘em a message straight from God. Courtesy of my machine gun.”
Lonnie just shook his head and listened from the rocking chair. Fucking experts now, I guess, he thought. Going to get themselves killed.
“You’re not happy for us, Lonnie?” Kristanna leaned against one of the log pillars with her arms folded.
Lonnie put his empty bowl of stew on the log table and stretched his legs out, crossing his feet. “Oh, I’m happy for you guys, sure.”
“But you think we’re stupid?”
“I wouldn’t say stupid. Over-elated, maybe. Like someone who just found a box of snakes and thinks there’s a prize at the bottom.”
Kristanna chuckled. “Fair enough. But we’ll get over it. It’s really a small victory. Let us enjoy it.”
Bess turned where she was sitting and looked back at him, her expression glorious as she let her tablet drop away from her chest and into her lap.
“I just can’t believe this is your world. Did you see it?”
Lonnie nodded, got up from his chair, and plopped his ass next to Bess on the top step. “Let me show you.”
Bess handed him the tablet, and he found himself looking down at a smaller version of the map Kristanna had shown him. Using his finger, he randomly dragged the map back and forth, still unbelieving how they’d gotten so much detail. The map was essentially a topographical representation of hills and valleys, rock formations and, if he zoomed in close enough, some large markers that he knew to be Rim cities.
“These are the Western Wastes near the Spill, that’s where you were. Further east is the Rim, which cuts off here at the cities of Plintok, Soroth, and Usar.” Lonnie traced his finger along the right side of the tablet. “But you got most of it. Fucking incredible, to be honest.”
“It’s similar to how they scan the bottom of the ocean, only we use the atmosphere and other factors along with magnetic pulses to get the readings,” Kristanna added.
More to the point, Bess jabbed her finger at the tablet’s surface. “Where’s your home? Where’s Xester?”
Lonnie couldn’t help but smile at Bess’s enthusiasm. His finger moved back to the center of the Rim, right at the edge of what was easily a great body of water, and tapped his finger. “This is the Boiling Sea. On its edge, Xester. Further north along the Rim are the Demon Lords. Along the top edge, see the small-ish cities perched on those chasms? Those are the cities of the Sky Lords.”
“My people,” Crash said, sticking his chest out, eyes peering over Lonnie’s shoulder.
“Crash’s people protect the chasms while we protect the Spill against things that come up out of the wastes. Undead hordes, spirits. What we call corporeal re-generatives.”
It was crazy how much was coming back to him, triggered by the ECC’s discoveries.
“So, there were hordes of these things just north of us?”
“Quite close, actually. But, yeah. No one is sure why they come up through the spill, but some think it might be spirits from many worlds attracted to this place after they die. Hell is like the opposite of Earth, energetically. Where Earth’s energies seem buried and can drain my super magics, Septu infuses things with life.”
“Even the dead?”
“Especially the dead.”
“And this is Xester, huh?” Bess’s finger touched his on the tablet.
“Yeah.” The thought of it filled him with a sort of quietness. It was strange seeing it from such a view. Like he was some sort of god with the world at the tip of his fingers. Not even his grandmother had ever seen Xester displayed like this, able to look down upon it with so much ease. They had maps, to be sure, but the Rim was a small place in comparison to the rest of Hell. Most civilized Rim-dwellers, demons and people alike, made their own maps well enough, but he could see why the Holy Avengers were so damn elated. This was huge for them.
“And all those places around the Rim are cities, too?
“Yes. There’s Olignap, Simphere, and several others.”
“All of them going down,” Alex said, almost grunting it.
“Shit,” Crash snorted. “You have no clue, man.”
“I know exactly what I’m talking about, friend. Seventy-two confirmed kills. All your kind.”
“Let me tell you something, friend. There aren’t any gates big enough to bring through some of the shit we got over there. So, think of the worst fade ripper you ever took out and magnify that by a hundred.”
Alex sneered. “Bullshit.”
“Plus,” Crash pointed out. “You ain’t never taken me down.”
The tall blonde stood between them with mock concern written on her face. “Now, boys…”
“Yeah, cool your heels. Both of you.” Bess’s voice was a distant command. She couldn’t take her eyes off the image on the screen.
Lonnie raised his eyebrow. He wasn’t worried. Enough tension had eased between the two big men that he was fairly sure there wouldn’t be any extra curricular shoving. “What my friend is trying to say is that only the most desperate and depraved of my kind even think about coming to Earth. The rest are, well, rulers in Hell, or something in between. But none of those assholes want to come here. Not really. Your pitiful souls don’t mean shit to them, believe me. Earth’s best defense is its very nature; the fact that it weakens the most powerful of my kind. We have to get creative if we want to use our, um, Hell magic here, right? My gang has to do drugs. My grandmother utilizes a tether.”
“What’s your point?” the big commando said, his impressively muscular arms crossed on his chest.
“My point is that you dumbasses are so damn eager leave your best defense behind. Earth is what’s keeping you alive, man.”
Some of what he was saying must have gotten through because everyone went quiet.
Bess and Lonnie continued poring over the map for the next hour or so while everyone else broke off to spread their excitement around, get some rest, or dwell on what Lonnie had just said.
Lonnie spotted an ECC operative hustling around the corner of the house, and he jumped up to follow him, saying, “I’ll be right back.”
Lonnie caught up with the man, who was heftier than your average commando. Heavy set but tall. Awkward-looking, too.
“Bum a cigarette?”
“Sure,” the guys said, looking around, “but don’t tell Bess.” He shook a smoke out of his pack and handed it over. “I know I’m supposed to be in peak physical form, but I’ve never been a jock asshole like Alex. And I get real fuckin’ jittery on certain OPS, especially when they drag on for days like this one.”
The cigarette was a menthol, but Lonnie wasn’t complaining. He lit up and took a long drag. “No worries. Wouldn’t dream of telling. And, yeah, I know what you mean about the OPS. They have the same effect on me.”
The man chuckled, shaking his head. “It’s a bitch, huh? All this Hell business. Name’s Jeff.”
“Lonnie.”
They shook hands.
“So, Jeff, you been on a lot of these raids? I mean, not to Hell, but otherwise?”
Jeff, who seemed to be a regular, pasty-faced guy with a short, brown beard, took a drag and blew his menthol smoke into the sky. “Yeah, I’m one of Bess’s favorites. Teacher’s pet. Been with her a long time.”
“No offense, but you don’t look like… What I mean is…”
“Right, I’m not the physical specimen you might expect. Far as I can tell, they bring me along for my jokes. Oh, and I’m a pretty good medic.” He waved his cigarette around. “And no offense taken to all that. You know, what you insinuated about me being a fat ass.”
Lonnie matched the guy’s grin, and then they both chuckled together.
“Well, I imagine they n
eed some levity. Pretty serious bunch, these guys.”
“No shit. Hey, what do you think our chances are? You know, of making it out alive on the next raid? You’re a native, right?”
“Yep, I was born and raised in Hell. You sure there’ll be another OP?”
“Are you kidding? These guys never quit. If it were up to me, I’d be back home binging on Buffy. But, yeah, we’ll keep going back until someone dies. Or the Devil is dead.”
Lonnie raised his eyebrows. “Never met the guy myself. Not even sure he exists.”
“Good luck telling Boss Woman that.”
“Right. They seem pretty convinced their guns will do the trick. They’re going to need to get a little more creative.”
“That’s kinda what I told them. But what do I know? I’m just the joke man.”
“Right. Hey, man. Thanks for the smoke. Good luck to you.”
“Same to you. Here.” Jeff flipped two more cigarettes out of his pack and gave them to Lonnie.
“Thanks. I appreciate that.”
Lonnie tucked the cigarettes into his jacket pocket and rejoined Bess on the porch where she continued to pour over the map. The night was full and dark, and the air held a delicate chill. The weather was incredible, actually. Way too warm for March, but winter could never make up its mind when to start and stop in Kentucky.
“I know Jeff smokes.”
“I figured you did,” Lonnie chuckled. “He’s a nice enough guy.”
“Best medic I’ve ever worked with, if you can get past his smart mouth.”
“I think I can.” Lonnie peered up through the treetops. “So, are you seriously going back in?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t we?”
“Nothing we said sunk in? You still think you’re actually going to live through this?”
“We lived through today.”
Lonnie leaned back and let his eyes wander to the edge of the forest where dozens of strange, shiny eyes peered back. And strange, shiny eyes were usually accompanied by sharp claws and glinting fangs. Would have been downright terrifying if he didn’t know they were Torri’s beasts. “Yeah, but you know what’s going to happen, right? You’re going to get greedy. You’re going to keep going back until something bites you right in the ass. And some of you are going to die. As if you didn’t have enough to worry about right here.”
Something had changed in Bess since she’d gone over and back. Despite her normally hard, professional persona, some crack of girlish excitement shone through. No, not girlish excitement, but a sort of fervor. She was wired. He could see it in her eyes. She probably wouldn’t sleep a damn wink tonight.
Yet, surprisingly, she reined it in. He wasn’t sure if it was his sobering calculation of their odds or her own better judgment. “Look, I understand what you’re saying. We all do. But eventually Azarah will need to be stopped. Maybe not today, not right this second, but certainly before this November when she tries for one of the most powerful offices on the planet. That make more sense?”
“Yes it does.” Lonnie hung his head. “I just don’t want to see anyone get hurt. Not even assholes like you guys.”
Bess’s eyes turned hard, her jaw clenched tight, and then they both let loose and broke into sputtering laughter.
“Hey, at least we’ve graduated from douchebags to just assholes in your eyes. I guess that’s a start.”
“Well, you’ve always been a little of both, to be honest.”
He received a solid punch on the arm for that one, and he honestly had to rub it to take out the sting. “Jeesh, lady. You should take up boxing.”
“Naw,” Bess smiled. “Between you guys and Alex and his crew, I’ve got enough boxing to last me my entire life.
“Yeah, I’ll bet.”
Silence wrapped itself around them, a comforting nothingness. Lonnie toyed with the edges of his jacket while Bess wiped at the top of her tablet, which had run out of power about ten minutes ago.
“Have you decided to come with us? Kristanna said you might have changed your mind.”
“Bess, you know our groups don’t mix too well.”
“I know you guys, and I know my troops. They’d fight together if it came to it.”
“Maybe.”
Bess paused, her body starting to wire up again. She set her tablet in her lap, clasping her hands in front of her. “Okay, so I’m going to offer you something to show you how much I trust you. And I doubt any ECC Captain has ever offered it to a fade ripper. In fact, I could be removed from my position for it.”
“Okay. Shoot.”
“If you decide to come, you’d be coming along as one of us. You’d be part of the ECC. Full members.”
“What?” Lonnie shook his head and chuckled. “That’s a good one, Bess.”
“I’m serious. Take a minute to think it over.”
“Let’s see. Where do I start? For one, we don’t believe in any of that shit about your God or the Devil. Secondly, we don’t do groups.”
Bess made a dismissive sound and leaned back right along with Lonnie, resting her elbows on the porch. “There are a lot of people who fight for the ECC who don’t believe in the Lord or His teachings. Not everyone wants to be saved. It’s something we’ve come to accept. But the people who fight with us see us as the only good answer to a greater evil. And, if we in the ECC want to see our end goals met, then we need to be willing to accept help. You wouldn’t be expected to join in prayer, but you would be expected to follow orders as long as you’re with us.”
“Look, there’s only one group, and that’s the Eighth Street Gang. That’s the only group we fight for.”
Bess made another sound, but this time followed it up with an emphatic shake of her head. “Man, you need to grow the fuck up. I know you’ve been through a lot, but playing this off like you’re some kind of dark rogue is just living in denial.”
“Denial. Fuck that, Bess. You know better than that.” Lonnie was starting to heat up with resentment.
“No. Fuck you, Mardokh Bet-Ohman. It’s your flesh and blood out there vying for power in our world. It was your family who started all this shit here on Earth thousands of years ago. To say you have no stake in this is unacceptable. You know, I can abide by a lot of shit. I can tolerate our differences. Lord knows you and Selix taught me that. But denying responsibility? Denying a destiny that is right here in front of you? That is something I can’t tolerate. The path is clear to me, of all people. Doing nothing is just you being a coward..”
And then Bess got up, tablet and all, and walked away.
Lonnie swallowed back what would have been a pointless retort and watched her go.
Chapter 20
“Lonnie, wake up.”
Two hands on his shoulders. Someone was shaking him.
Taking a deep breath, his lungs were chilled by the brisk, morning air.
“Shit. What the fuck?”
He shifted his head, realized it was resting on a pillow. Felt the weight of a blanket over him but still the hardness of wooden floors beneath his hip. He was resting on his side, must have fallen asleep on the front porch. Then he remembered that he’d grabbed a pillow and blanket from Elsa’s their room (it smelled like blood and animal corpses in there) and gone outside to lay down in the refreshing night air. Hadn’t intended on falling asleep.
“C’mon, Lonnie. Wake up. I have to go. I just wanted to let you know, so you wouldn’t wonder.”
His eyes snapped open, and he found himself looking up into Torri’s freckled face. She’d pulled her hair back, but some wisps had escaped to fall against her cheeks.
“Wait, where are you going?”
The scent of charred wood wafted off her, thick and throat-stinging. Something was wrong.
“I woke up feelin’ it. I should have known what was happening before it did.”
“What, Torri? What happened?”
“A flood over in Tam’s Holler. I think some folks is dead, and more need help. I’m gonna have one of those
ECC fellas ride me over on his four-wheeler.”
“They got four-wheelers?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, wait. Let me go with you.”
Torri shook her head. “No. You don’t have to come. I can—”
“Bullshit.” Lonnie was already throwing the cover off and starting to stand. “Just let me take a piss real quick.”
“Lonnie, I don’t think—”
“No, I want to help. Just find another ECC person to take me. That’ll be four of us. People might need help, right?”
Torri reluctantly relented while Lonnie walked out to the woods to take a piss. That he did, but it was more so he could fix himself and ward off the sudden cramps that ran up his sides. Lucky Torri had gotten him up, because if he’d laid there another few hours then the consequences would have been worse.
He squatted down, portioned off a section of the black tar, and did the best he could to cook it up to the sounds of Torri calling for him to hurry up. Something moved a few feet nearby. Lonnie’s eyes shot up, thinking he might leap back if it was some forest animal, but what he ended up doing was hunching over, protecting the stuff cooking in the spoon.
Luckily, it was only Tavia’s pasty white face and strange eyes looking back at him.
“Hey, cat-girl-thing. Don’t fucking judge me.”
She only grinned and tried to come closer, her nose sniffing at the spoon.
“Bad cat!”
Tavia jerked back with a mewling noise, but smiled when Lonnie winked at her.
All done shooting up, Lonnie put his stuff away and stood, leaning against a tree that leaned right back on him. He nodded off until Torri called for him again.
“Lonnie, hurry!”
“All right.” It came out phlegmy, so he cleared his throat and tried again. “All right. Coming!”
He came around the front of the house to find the hill witch tapping her foot, flanked by two ECC commandos and their four wheelers.
“Sorry. Had to take a shit.”