The mammoth demon raised a long-clawed hand and pointed directly at them, issuing a blood curdling cry from its inhuman mouth. The sound echoed off the fire chamber’s walls, striking them like a physical blow and for a moment, even the wall of flames seemed to flicker.
Billie felt her legs and her resolve weaken.
“Time to leave!” cried Roberts.
Billie hesitated for a second before hooking her shoulder under Joseph’s and helping him away from the nightmare assembled across the chamber.
Am I going mad? Fear threatened to overwhelm her and she knew she couldn’t look back.
Pat took the lead, guiding the group out of the chamber and away from the demon horde and the hellfire. Their footsteps faltered as a second thunderous roar reverberated behind them. It sounded closer! The bull-demon either issued a challenge or it was enraged because they didn’t stick around to fight—whatever the reason, it helped them gain some much-needed extra speed.
After some distance, Roberts forced the group to slow and then stop. He handed Billie a handful of bullets and ordered her to reload her Peacemaker. Billie dropped the short sword, her hands shaking uncontrollably, but somehow she reloaded the revolver. Pat took this stop to reload the Navy Colt while Roberts watched the dark tunnel behind them.
It’s quiet, thought Billie.
Roberts picked up the discarded short sword and ordered Billie to keep her revolver ready. Billie nodded. The old marshal moved to one of the freed-prisoners and shaking the man by his shoulders, he pressed the priest’s dagger into his hand—its blade was still covered with blood. The man looked like he was about to break down, but Roberts shook him again and he nodded his understanding.
Pat still had her revolver and held the boy’s hand.
“Let’s go,” said Roberts, pushing people forward to get them moving again.
Billie glanced at Joseph’s face as she helped him to stand. Deep lines creased his forehead as he looked back the way they had come. He was as scared as she was.
“Don’t worry, Joey,” she whispered, trying to sound brave. “We’ll make it out of here.”
I hope…
Chapter 19
The escapees spilled out of the tunnel into a large chamber lit by the same yellow fungi found throughout the complex. There were multiple exits from the chamber. They moved across the open, huddled together. They were all exhausted now and it felt like they had been running for hours. No doubt it had been a lot shorter.
Billie helped Joseph to a wall where he leaned against its rough surface panting heavily, his eyes clenched shut. Fresh blood seeped through his leg bandage.
“Your leg?”
“I’m all right,” he muttered without opening his eyes. Billie wasn’t so sure.
Eddie Stein moved to Billie and gripped her hand. His face was wet with tears.
This boy has seen too much—
“We’ve gotta keep going,” said a middle-aged man, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand.
“We need to rest,” replied Billie. Joey does.
“We’re gunna die here!” said the man. His voice was raised, edged with hysteria. “We can’t stop.”
“No one will die,” said Roberts solemnly. He looked down a tunnel. “This way—”
Roberts’ statement was cut short as a grey-scaled demon dropped from the ceiling and latched onto the middle-aged man’s neck. Seconds later there was a ripping sound and the demon straightened, bloody flesh hanging from its mouth as it glanced around at their terrified faces. It opened its mouth, issuing a high-pitched scream.
BOOM!
The demon’s head exploded like a ripe melon, spraying demon gore into the air. Its headless body slumped across the dead man.
“They know where we are. We have to go!” said Pat, a smoking gun in her hand. She reloaded her revolver and pulled Eddie toward the tunnel Roberts indicated.
“This way,” ordered Roberts and they moved forward again.
“Servi diis tenebris!” boomed a deep voice. The sound vibrated in the air for a few seconds before it faded.
All eyes turned as a screaming horde of demons and night terrors poured into the chamber. Behind them strolled the mountainous horned demon—its black eyes glistened in the dim light as it looked at the cowering humans.
The horde surged forward, but had gone only a few yards when an explosion rocked the chamber, filling the air with debris and bits of demon flesh. Many demons were knocked to the ground and some started to rise when a second explosion peppered them with stone fragments, flattening them again.
Billie’s ears were filled with a piercing ringing, which muffled all other sounds. She was surprised that she was lying on the ground as she couldn’t remember falling over.
What new hell is this?!
There was something wet on the side of her face. Touching it, her hand came away bloody. No time to worry about it. She stood unsteadily, almost tripping over Joseph lying beside her. Gripping her brother’s shirt, she dragged him to his feet.
Through the dust-filled air they stumbled toward Roberts standing nearby. He beckoned to them. His mouth moved, but the ringing in Billie’s ears drowned out whatever he was saying.
What’s happening?!
Billie helped Joseph past the old marshal and into the tunnel.
Where are the others?
She glanced back into the dust-filled cavern. A few demons and imps regained their feet but looked dazed. Many of their number lay dead or dying and were scattered about the ground like litter. Above the chaos, one monster stood out. It was the bull-demon. A dozen bloody rents marked its body and a lump of flesh hung loosely from its face—an alien face—but the creature’s loathing was visible as it snarled a demonic curse. It hated all humanity. The demon moved forward, a massive foot stepping on one of its fallen brethren with a wet crunch—it didn’t notice or didn’t care. Clenching keg-sized fists, it opened its hideous mouth and voiced its hatred with an ear-splitting roar, which bounced off the walls and forced Billie to her knees.
From nowhere, a dark shape leapt through the dust-filled air, landing on the monster’s back. The bull-demon paid no more attention to his attacker than it would an annoying insect. Clinging onto the demon’s shoulder, the man hung on like a tick. It was Tommy. The Native raised his tomahawk high above his head and drove it down into the back of the demon’s horned skull. The blow had little effect and bounced harmlessly off the hell-spawn’s fur-covered skin.
Tommy rained several more blows before the demon stopped and reached over its shoulder, grabbing the man by his arm. Effortlessly, the demon pulled Tommy off its back and threw him across the cavern where he crashed into several imps, knocking them over.
Roberts pushed Billie down the tunnel, breaking her out of her stupor. “Run! Or die!” he shouted over the noise.
Pat appeared out of the dust cloud carrying Eddie and staggered past them. Leaning on each other, Billie and Joseph followed her. A parting glance revealed Tommy covered in blood and regaining his feet. He drew a long knife and with his axe in his other hand, he, too, issued a challenge, but the sound was drowned out by the bull-demon’s thunderous reply.
Roberts pushed Billie again and she and Joseph stumbled forward, hurrying to keep up with Pat. Joseph gripped his wounded leg with his free hand, trying to slow the blood flow from his wound. With Billie’s aid, he hobbled along as fast as he could.
Demonic screeches filled the air behind them, then suddenly went silent.
Tommy?
She glanced over her shoulder, but the tunnel behind them was empty. There was no sign of Roberts, Tommy or the other prisoners.
We have to keep running!
Chapter 20
“We’ve got to go back,” said Pat.
They had run for some time, passing many side tunnels as they traversed the gloomy passages. The tall marshal slowed her pace and stopped, so did Billie and Joseph. Pat put Eddie down and in terror, the boy clung to the marshal.
; Joseph grimaced as he released his grip on Billie and propped himself against the wall. Blood dampened much of his trousers from his thigh to his knee. His breaths now came in shallow wheezes—he was spent and looked like he couldn’t go on much further. His face was pale and covered in sweat, giving him a sickly look under the roof fungi’s glow.
I can’t carry him much further, thought Billie.
Footsteps echoed from the demons’ direction and both women swung round, aiming their guns into the darkness. Billie held her breath, but it didn’t feel like the lightning was there.
I can’t feel it!
Half expecting to see a horde of ravenous demons, they were relieved when Roberts emerged from the gloom. They lowered their guns.
“You must keep going!” said Roberts, black blood dripping from his short sword, his eyes glowing like a feral cat in the dim light.
“Where are the others?” asked Pat.
For a man in his sixties, Roberts showed little signs of fatigue. “They’re all dead,” he said calmly.
All dead? Is that our fate, too?
“Tommy?” asked Pat.
“Dead—”
A bestial howl echoed from the depths and was joined an instant later by another in the opposite direction. They were being tracked…or corralled.
Roberts pointed further along the tunnel. “We must be close to the surface. If we can get to the horses, we might escape this yet.” His yellow eyes held each of them. “We can do this. But if anyone falters, the rest must keep going.”
How do we go on? Billie felt drained. The horses? Joey will be lucky to go another fifty yards.
Billie looked at the revolver in her hands. Who would have thought its weight and shape would feel natural to her? She hadn’t. We must stand and fight. She looked up from the revolver and stared straight into the old marshal’s yellow eyes.
“Kid, we’ll need your gift before this is over.”
Gift?
In the distance, the rumbling sound of clawed feet on stone and hellish calls reached them. The demons were coming and fast by the sound of it.
They weren’t out of this yet.
Under Roberts’ guidance, they zig-zagged their way through the underground maze and by fortune or design, they avoided the demons. Often, they stopped so the old marshal could listen or get his bearings and without warning, he would suddenly tell them to take a side passage.
They paused so Roberts could get his bearings and Billie chanced a look over her shoulder. The tunnel behind was quiet. Joseph leaned on her heavily, staring at the ground. It appeared he was about to pass out. “If I don’t make it…”
“Don’t talk like that. We’ll both make it out.”
Joseph smiled weakly, but it was short-lived as pain racked his body and he grimaced. “If you make it out of here…” A hacking cough shook his body. He stifled it with his hand. “Leave the borderlands. Take Mom back east. Promise me…Billie.”
“I—I will. But we’ll both be getting out of here.”
“You were always the strong one, Billie. You’re tougher than you look.”
“Stop this talk. We’ll get out of here. And we’ll all move back east.”
Joseph tried to smile, but it he couldn’t hold it.
Just then Roberts re-joined them. “The stables are ahead and look empty. We’ll go straight to the stables and Garrett, you’ll open the gate.”
Pat nodded and grabbed Eddie’s hand. The boy remained silent, standing hard up against Pat’s leg. His head twitched slightly as he stared wide-eyed at the tunnel ahead.
Billie checked her revolver before shouldering Joseph’s weight. They followed behind Roberts while Pat and Eddie brought up the rear.
The horses shifted their weight as they entered the cavern. The stable area appeared as before—with the horses locked behind thick bars, a few bales of hay and little more. Roberts held his sword in a defensive stance as he skirted along the wall. Several yards in he paused, tilting his head. He was listening. To what, Billie couldn’t tell. She strained but couldn’t hear anything except Joseph’s breathing in her ears.
Without warning, the old marshal spun and drove his sword into the wall. He held it there for several long second before dark blood gushed over its blade. He withdrew the weapon and a rock-colored imp fell to the ground dead.
With a high-pitched scream, three more cave imps appeared from nowhere and threw themselves at the marshal. Their razor sharp claws flashed through the air, but his blade weaved deadly arcs before him. It was not enough to deter the demons. An imp screamed and lunged at the marshal, but he skilfully sidestepped and decapitated the demon in a blink of an eye. Spinning, he parried the attacks of the remaining two as they pushed their advantage.
The imps leapt back out of reach of the sword, but just as quick they renewed their attacks, springing forward in unison. Roberts slashed at the first one, but it ducked under his blade and sunk its teeth deep into his thigh. The old man’s face grimaced, but he didn’t cry out. Instead, he drove the sword blade into the back of the demon’s neck, severing its head.
The last imp jumped on Roberts’ shoulder, knocking the old man to his knees. Billie raised her revolver, aiming at the foul creature, but hesitated. No clear shot! She didn’t have control of her new gift and if the lightning came…both man and demon could be vaporized.
Pat moved passed Billie, raised her gun and without seeming to aim, fired. The gunshot sounded loud as thunder in the confined quarters. The imp jerked backward as the top of its head disappeared and it dropped to the ground.
“Garrett. The gate,” said Roberts, clamping a hand over the bite on his thigh.
Pat released Eddie’s hand and reloaded the revolver as she moved to the stables’ gate. The horses whinnied and tossed their heads—stressed by the gunfire and the smell of gunpowder and blood.
Billie and Joseph limped over to the stables and Joseph dropped onto a hay bale. Eddie appeared, following Billie and tugged on her shirt sleeve.
“You’re a brave boy,” said Billie. “We’ll be safe soon.”
“It’s too late,” Eddie whispered, looking up at her. It was the first time Billie had heard him talk. “They’re here.”
Chapter 21
Billie stared at Eddie. He was pointing to the tunnel leading deeper into the complex.
“What?” she asked. There’s nothing there…crap!
In the tunnel’s shadows, two dark eyes glared out, searching. Cautiously, a dark green demon, only two feet tall, crept into the dim light. It stopped on all fours and sniffed the air, regarding the humans impassively.
“Don’t. Move,” Billie whispered to Eddie.
The miniature demon crawled further forward, stopping again. Its back was covered in ridges of tiny spines and its tail was scorpion-like and almost as long as its body. It opened its oversized mouth and issued a long, mournful wail which was much too loud for such a small creature.
“Let’s go, Eddie!” Billie holstered her gun and grabbing the boy’s hand, pulled him and Joseph toward the stables. At the gate, Joseph dropped exhausted to the ground, falling back against the iron bars.
Roberts moved toward the cavern entrance, spooking the small demon. It scurried into the tunnel and in seconds it disappeared. A moment later, malformed shapes moved rapidly down the passageway toward Roberts. “Garrett. Haste, if you please.”
“No pressure,” mumbled Pat under her breath, working on the gate.
Billie pushed Eddie behind her. “It’ll be all right,” she said, as much for her own sake as for the boy’s.
A dozen demons poured into the cavern howling with manic fury. A purple, horned creature went down to a blow from Roberts’ sword, but many flowed past him, moving toward Billie and the others at the stables’ gate.
No! Billie reached for her revolver and time slowed as her hand touched the gun’s grip. In the time it took for the revolver to clear the holster, the demons had barely moved an inch. She cocked the hammer and aimed at the
nearest demon, squeezing the trigger. The gun bucked, sending the bullet wild and missing its intended target. It ricocheted harmlessly off the roof.
There was no lightning.
Shit!
Billie panicked and the demons sped up slightly.
Stay calm!
Her vision blurred. I don’t want to die, she told herself, thumbing the gun’s hammer back and aiming at a lizard-like demon only a few yards away.
Please…
The hammer fell and her senses filled with a thunderous roar as a bright light flashed from the gun’s barrel and vaporized the demon in front of her. The blue energy continued arcing through the air, blowing a hole through the chest of another hell-spawned creature behind the first—buckets of demon gore splashed onto the ground and the smell of burn meat filled the air.
Billie observed Roberts’ sword as she cocked her Peacemaker again. The marshal’s blade gradually descended, connecting with a demon’s neck and biting in deep. Black blood sprayed into the air at an impossibly slow speed, splattering the old man’s chest and face.
A demon appeared in Billie’s peripheral vision and she spun around, firing her gun. Lightning streamed out from her, cutting the demon in two. Its torso dropped to the ground as the energy continued on, blowing apart another two hideous creatures further away.
To Billie, the sounds of combat were distorted, slow and drawn out. Demons screamed long, hellish battle cries and Pat’s gun fired from nearby—all sounds stretched and lingered in the air.
The overpowering smell of demon blood and guts assailed Billie’s nose—the chamber had turned into a slaughterhouse. But there was another underlining smell. Something she couldn’t put a name to—a sweet aroma lying under the other putrid stenches.
Billie the Kid: The Sky Fire Chronicles Book 1 Page 14