No one wanted to speculate what that meant for their chances of survival.
Jason changed the subject. “What’s going to happen to Petra?”
“She’s not going to make it.” Doc lowered his gaze.
“Are you sure?”
“If I could get her proper medical care, she might have a chance.”
“Then we have to head back to Mont St. Michel,” demanded Sasha.
“That won’t do any good. It’s a three-day journey, and the ride would kill her. Besides, her wounds are so bad that within forty-eight hours they’ll become infected. Within a week her body will go septic and she’ll die.”
“Don’t you have any antibiotics to give her?” Sasha pleaded.
“Not enough to stave off the infection that she’s going to develop.”
“Is she in pain now?” asked Jason.
“Not that much. The burns happened so quickly that most of the nerve endings in her arm and face were destroyed. She’s uncomfortable, although not as much as she should be under the circumstances. The morphine I gave her is to help her sleep.”
Jason swallowed hard, already knowing the answer to his question. “So what do you recommend?”
Doc hesitated. “You’re not going to like my answer.”
“No!” cried Sasha. “We’re not going to kill her.”
“She’s dead already,” Doc replied with as much humanity as he could muster. “Once the infection sets in and spreads, she’s going to be in unbearable pain. Sooner or later we’re going to have to end her suffering.”
“Besides,” added Slava. “If we take her along, she’ll slow us down and make us vulnerable to whatever else is waiting out there.”
Sasha turned to Jason, her eyes pleading. “You can’t let them do this.”
When Jason saw Petra his heart sank. She had been mortally wounded trying to protect the animals she loved so much. Lucifer and Lilith sat facing her, whimpering. Even they knew she would not make it. He remembered a month ago when they had to shoot one of the horses that had developed an intestinal blockage they couldn’t remove. Petra cried for hours. Now he had to make the same decision about her, with the difference being that Petra was human and not an animal.
“Slava, make a stretcher that we can drag behind one of the horses. We’re taking her with us in the morning.”
“Are you sure?” the Russian asked.
“Consider what you’re doing,” added Doc. “You’re not helping her any.”
“I know. But I’m not going to put her down here in the woods like a dog. Tomorrow night we’ll find an abandoned farmhouse and let her die in bed with some dignity.”
Slava nodded. “I’ll get right on it.”
As the Russian ran off to make the stretcher, Jason looked at Sasha, hoping she approved. He noticed she had a tear in her eyes.
Doc placed his hand on Jason’s shoulder and squeezed. “Your mother would be proud of you.”
Screw my mother, Jason sneered inwardly. Petra is going to die because of the world she created.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
After the attack by the soul vampires, no one risked more than a few minutes’ sleep. Jason waited until half an hour after dawn before setting out to ensure they had plenty of daylight to see by in case any more Hell Spawn lurked in the area. A low overcast hung in the sky, which kept the sun from beating down on them. At least that would make Petra a little more comfortable.
Petra’s horse followed thirty feet back, pulling behind it the stretcher Josh and Shane had rigged together for her and tethered to the saddle. Doc rode on one side of Petra’s horse and Neal on the other, the latter holding the reins in his hands so the animal couldn’t run away. The stretcher bumped and jostled along the uneven terrain. The trip would have been unbearable for Petra if Doc had not given her a second dose of morphine.
Jason promised himself that he would make sure she died peacefully and with dignity.
They had ridden for nearly two hours when Sasha rode up alongside Jason. “We’re not heading to Les Andelys like we originally planned, are we?”
“No, we’re not.” Jason’s eyes narrowed. “How did you know that?”
“Because Les Andelys is to the north, and we’ve been heading into the sun all morning. Why the change in plans?”
“I was studying the map last night, and I think I’ve found a better route.” Jason pulled the map out of his jacket pocket and passed it to Sasha, who opened it up to the surrounding region. The Seine River made a long S turn to the southwest, then to the northeast, and then southwest, a diversion of six miles. Les Andelys sat at the tip of the northeast bend. “The bridge crossing the Seine at that point would put us right in the center of the city. If we run into any Hell Spawn, we’d have no place to run.”
“So where are we heading?”
“Villers sur Le Roule.” Jason leaned over and stretched out his hand, pointing to a small village near the end of the second southwest loop where the Seine straightened out and continued running east. “Less than a mile east of that is a bridge outside of Gaillon.”
“Gaillon?” Sasha studied the map. “Jason, that town is five times the size of Les Andelys.
“There’s several hundred feet of farmland and warehouses between the town and the river bank. If we run into Hell Spawn, we have more room to maneuver.”
“That’s risky.” Sasha handed back the map. “You should have consulted us.”
Jason felt his chest tighten and his face flush. “Why?”
Sasha stared at him, unable to respond, which made Jason even more furious.
“Everyone, including you, asked me to lead the group. Now you’re questioning me. Would you have expected Andre to clear his decisions with the rest of you?”
Sasha remained silent, but Jason already knew the answer. “You don’t trust my judgment because I’m only sixteen.”
“I didn’t say that,” snapped Sasha. The tone of her voice expressed more hurt than anger.
“If you didn’t think I was qualified to lead this group, you should have taken over command. You didn’t, and now I’m in charge. So deal with it.” Jason whipped the reins to get his horse to move faster. “Fall back with your team. And stay alert.”
Sasha stared at him, a pained expression on her face. Good, thought Jason. Now you know how it feels.
He left Sasha behind and didn’t bother to look back.
Several hours later, the group traveled through the woods south of Villers sur Le Roule. The Seine River should be only a quarter of a mile in front of them. Jason kept his eyes on the tree line, hoping to catch a glimpse of it. He heard galloping behind him, hoping it was Sasha coming up to apologize for her behavior. This time, Doc joined him.
“Is Petra okay?”
“I guess,” Doc answered, distracted. “Something’s wrong.”
“What?”
“Have you noticed how hot it is suddenly?”
It had not registered with Jason until now. He had assumed it was the late morning temperature rise, except that the sun remained behind the clouds, and they were in the woods where it should be cooler. It now became apparent that the closer they got to the Seine, the warmer it became.
“And listen,” added Doc.
At first, Jason didn’t hear anything, but after a few seconds, he heard what Doc was referring to. He had not noticed it at first because it blended with the surroundings. From ahead of them came a low, steady rumble similar to the sound of a furnace, only louder. He assumed Villers sur Le Roule or the forest might be on fire, yet he saw no indications of black smoke. The sky was clear except for the clouds.
The group broke through the tree line into the open. The Seine lay two hundred feet ahead of them, or more precisely, what used to be the Seine. In place of water, a river of lava flowed between the two banks, a reddish-orange mass that moved past them heading west. All the vegetation and structures within fifty feet of the banks had been burned away. A lava bubble exploded with a pop, spewi
ng a finger of molten rock across the ground where it sizzled against the scorched earth. Lilith whined and raced back to the rear of the group.
Slava moved up on Jason’s left. “What the…?”
“Any theories about this?” Jason asked Doc.
Doc shook his head. “Beats me.”
“What do we do now?” asked Slava.
“We stick to the plan,” Jason answered. “We’ll follow the river east and see if there’s any place to cross. Tell everyone to keep at least one hundred feet between themselves and the lava.”
As Slava went to back to pass along the orders, Jason and Doc headed east. Less than a mile ahead of them sat the outskirts of Gaillon.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The group approached the split in the road outside of Gaillon. Jason opted for the southern route that led to the warehouse district rather than the one that ran along the river, wanting to put as much distance as possible between his people and the lava. Gaillon was a quarter of a mile to the south opposite overgrown farmland. Everyone remained on high alert, with their weapons unslung and prepared for anything that might lunge at them from the buildings to their left or the tall grass to their right. Lucifer and Lilith stayed close to their master. Jason closed his eyes and concentrated on his surroundings, trying to detect the presence of any Hell Span. Nothing stirred, not even wildlife.
Passing underneath the elevated road that led to the bridge, Jason veered left and led the group up the ramp leading to the highway. Cars and trucks sat at various angles across the two lanes, having been left where they stalled following the EMP. He raised his hand and ordered the others to stop. “Stay here. I want to check the bridge and make sure it’s safe to cross.”
Sasha moved out of line to join him, but Jason pointed to Haneef. “You’re with me.”
Sasha brought her horse to a stop, a pained expression on her. She spun the horse around so she didn’t have to face Jason.
Jason and Haneef continued ahead, maneuvering around the abandoned vehicles. The heat became stifling as they came closer to the bridge. Sweat poured down his face and soaked the back of his flight suit. Even the horses were uncomfortable and strained to go back, pulling against their harness and snorting in protest. The two riders found it difficult to keep them moving forward. As they approached the span, Jason realized their attempt at crossing here would be futile. The heat from the lava had melted the asphalt and exposed the steel structure. Even the metal frame had suffered damage, the intense heat warping and twisting the girders in the center.
Haneef frowned. “My friend, even Allah isn’t going to be able to get us across here.”
“Damn it.”
“What now?”
“We continue going east. Hopefully, we’ll find a place to cross before we reach Paris.”
The two started to head back. Jason paused and stared down into the lava where something had caught his attention. He studied the surface for thirty seconds, hoping to see it again. There was nothing there except the lava flowing west.
Haneef noticed Jason had stopped. “Is everything all right?”
“I thought I saw something.” Jason spurred on his horse. He convinced himself that he had imagined it, that last night’s encounter with the soul vampires had made him jittery and he was now seeing demons where they didn’t exist.
Still, he could have sworn he saw the top of a head and a pair of eyes staring at him from the center of the lava flow.
Chapter Thirty
The group continued east along the river bank. The sun had begun its slow descent in the west, and in two hours it would be dusk. They would need to find a place soon to set up camp. After last night, Jason didn’t want to be out in the open once the sun had gone down.
Half a mile ahead of them sat another town. Jason consulted the map. It was Notre Dame de la Garenne. A few miles beyond that was Le Goulet. According to the map, Le Goulet was a small village with no major structures other than a scattering of homes. Jason figured that would be a good place to rest and, hopefully, there would be no Hell Spawn around to worry about. They could set themselves up in one of the houses, which would be easy to defend, plus it would provide a decent place to put Petra to rest.
As they made their way past the outskirts of Notre Dame de la Garenne and into the village, a sense of unease settled over Jason. It was not the usual sixth sense he felt whenever he detected the aura of Nachzehrer or soul vampires. This felt more like a premonition that something lurked nearby, watching them. Unslinging his crossbow, he pulled back the bolt and dropped an arrow into the slot. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Slava staring at him. The Russian moved ahead and slid his FAMAS off his shoulder.
“What do you see?”
“I don’t see anything,” answered Jason. His eyes scanned the buildings and streets in front of him. “I feel it.”
“Your sixth sense?”
“No. More like a gut feeling that something dangerous is nearby.”
“That’s good enough for me.”
“Drop back and warn the others to be careful. And let’s pick up the pace. I want to clear this town as quickly as possible.”
“Fine by me.” Slava backtracked to warn the others and immediately yanked the animal to a stop. His eyes grew wide. His lips trembled. “Mother of God.”
Jason spun his horse around and cursed under his breath.
At first, Jason thought a stream of lava had overflowed the banks behind Haneef’s team. Then the lava stream pulled itself upright and took a humanoid shape. It stood thirty feet tall, with legs and arms as thick as trees. A bulbous outcrop on top of the torso served as the thing’s head. Its fiery orange eyes fixed on Philippe, the last person in line on Haneef’s team. Before Jason could react, the magma monster lumbered onto the bank only a few yards from Philippe. Each movement of its molten legs sounded like the sloshing of waves colliding with a seawall. Philippe heard the noise, but by the time he saw the magma monster it was too late. Its arm swung out, slapping the Frenchman and his horse. Both burst into flames as they were tossed to one side. The two thrashed around as fire consumed them, the terrified neighing of the horse mixing with Philippe’s agonized death cries.
Since Sasha’s team brought up the rear, she had time to fall back. Once the team reached the outskirts of the town, they headed inland and disappeared behind a warehouse. Renato went to help Philippe, an act of courage that cost him his life. The magma monster saw the Italian and moved toward him, leaving burning footsteps in its wake.
“Renato!” Jason shouted. “Get out of there!”
Renato tried to run. However, his horse panicked at the approaching menace and spun around in a circle. The magma monster lumbered forward and reached out a fiery hand, snatching Renato from his saddle. Globs of lava dripped onto the horse. The terrified animal bolted, bucking and neighing as it disappeared down a side street. Renato screamed as his clothes and skin ignited. The flames climbed his torso, searing his face black. The Italian’s eyes exploded in their sockets, and his tongue shriveled in his mouth. His anguished cries became stifled when he breathed in, the intense heat burning out his vocal chords and searing his lungs. The creature gazed curiously at the corpse in its hand. Arching its arm back, it flung Renato’s charcoaled remains into the center of the lava flow.
Jason called out, “Everyone move inland and head for the other side of town! We’ll meet up there!”
Slava kicked his horse in the side and led the way, with the others following him off the embankment and into town. Doc and Neal dragged Petra’s horse between them, the frantic ride bouncing her around on the stretcher. As the others escaped, Jason hung back, serving as a decoy to keep the creature distracted so it didn’t go after the others. Beside him, the two werehounds hung close, too terrified to morph into their demonic forms. Lucifer crouched forward on his front paws, growling and barking at the approaching Hell Spawn. Lilith glanced up at Jason as if pleading him to run. The magma monster was less than fifty feet away.
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“Hang tight, girl.”
Jason heard the familiar clatter of a minigun. Sasha had backtracked and now stood seventy-five feet behind the creature, still mounted on her horse, the minigun blazing. Hundreds of rounds tore into it with no effect. A few shells passed through the Hell Spawn, exiting out its chest as chunks of molten metal. The magma monster turned to face the nuisance. Upon seeing Sasha, it plodded toward her. Rather than retreat, she stood her ground, pumping a useless fusillade of gunfire into it. Jason became frantic. He yelled for Sasha to run, but she couldn’t hear him, or she was too stubborn to listen. He wanted to go to her rescue, yet his horse wouldn’t budge. Jason watched in horror as the magma monster drew nearer to Sasha. If she didn’t move within the next few seconds, it would be close enough to strike her down.
Something flashed out of one of the side streets and slammed into the creature’s torso, exploding with a white flash of light. The creature bellowed an ungodly cry that sounded like the roar of an anguished blast furnace. The area around the impact zone turned gray and hard. A second and third object shot out of the same side street in rapid succession, one striking the creature’s abdomen, the other its head. Both exploded with the same white light, and both created the same gray, hardened area. The magma monster wailed and held its hands up to its side, trying to deflect the objects. It slogged its way back toward the Seine. As it re-entered the lava flow, a fourth object struck it in the center of its back. The magma monster howled one final time before disappearing beneath the surface.
With the danger gone, Jason finally got his horse to move. He set off after Sasha and paused when he got to the side street from where the projectiles had come. Seven figures stood at the intersection. They all wore leather greatcoats. Six were men, three of whom carried rocket launchers. The other three carried satchel bags and AK-47s, the latter of which they kept trained on him and Sasha. The three men with the rocket launchers moved toward the lava flow, keeping their weapons ready in case the magma monster returned.
The seventh person was a young girl about Jason’s age. She had long brunette hair tied in a ponytail that hung down to her waist. An AK-47 dangled from her left hand, pointed at the ground. Though she had the poise and bearing of a fighter, her face was soft, having lost none of its teenage charms. She approached Jason and grinned, her cheeks puffing out. She walked up to his horse and extended her right hand.
Hell Gate Page 13