Hell Gate

by Josh Matthews

All Jason could say was, “Jesus Christ.”

  Chapter Forty-Five

  A centipede thirty feet long and two feet in diameter emerged from the shadows and scurried toward them. Everyone raised their weapons and took aim, pausing when another twenty centipedes appeared out of the dark, crawling along the walls and ceilings.

  Sasha tried to make her way back to the tunnel. Jeanette stopped her. “There’s too many. Move!”

  Before Sasha could protest, Sook-kyoung grabbed her by the arm and led her down the car. Jeanette pulled Neal up and shoved him and Doc after the two women.

  The others switched their automatic weapons onto different targets and fired three-round bursts, blasting several of the insects from the walls and ceiling. For each one killed, more came out of the darkness, circling to attack.

  Haneef raised his minigun. Jason pushed down the barrel. “Save your ammo for Notre Dame.”

  “We’ll never stop them with small arms.”

  Jason knew his friend was right. Shane had climbed onto the subway car, with Josh waiting to be next. The centipedes were closing in, more than thirty of them by now. They did not have enough time to get everyone aboard this subway train. The second one was twenty-five yards away.

  “Come with me.” Jason set off for the second train. Lucifer and Lilith ran along beside him. Slava, Haneef, Antoine, Reinhard, Ray, and David brought up the rear.

  Franco climbed into the subway car after Josh and Shane and turned to help Bill. Bill had one foot on the platform when a centipede closed in behind him. It wrapped its mandibles around his left leg and clamped shut. The twin forcipules behind its head closed around his thigh and punctured the skin. Bill screamed from pain and fear. When the insect injected paralyzing venom, he lost all sensation in his leg. The centipede darted back, yanking Bill off the platform and onto the tracks.

  Franco withdrew his machete and jumped out to save Bill.

  Jason ran up to the second subway train and jumped onto the platform. His heart pounded, both from the adrenaline rush of the attack and not knowing what was on the other side of the door.

  “Slava, cover me.”

  The Russian took up a firing position by the platform, his FAMAS trained at the car. Jason grabbed the handle and slid the door aside.

  The car was empty.

  “Haul ass!”

  David brought up the rear of the line heading for the second subway train. He spun around to check on the centipedes. One was less than five feet away. He raised his FAMAS and emptied the remainder of his magazine, pumping six rounds into the insect and tearing apart its head. The rest of the body curled into a lifeless ball. David spun around and sprinted toward the others. A centipede darted out from underneath the adjacent subway car and swerved into his path. He jumped over the insect and twisted his foot on landing, tumbling onto the tracks.

  The centipede curled around and lunged at him.

  Franco ran around to the centipede’s side and raised the machete over his head. Swinging with all his might, he brought the blade down on the insect’s abdomen behind the first set of maxillipeds, slicing the head from its body. The mandibles still dug into Bill’s leg.

  A centipede fell off of the ceiling directly behind Franco and thrust its head forward to grab his right leg. A burst of gunfire ripped into its flank, throwing the carcass down the tunnel. Franco saw Jeanette kneeling on the platform, smoke billowing from the muzzle of her AK-47.

  “Hurry up,” she yelled. “And don’t look behind you.”

  Franco didn’t listen but wished that he had. Three centipedes were bearing down on him less than ten feet away. He grabbed Bill by his belt and dragged him toward the car.

  David swung his FAMAS like a baseball bat, slamming the stock into the centipede’s head. The blow stunned the insect. Rolling to his feet, he dropped the automatic weapon and pulled his machete from its sheath. Holding it above his head in both hands, he drove the blade into the insect’s head. The centipede convulsed. David shoved the blade in deeper and twisted. With one final, violent shake, the insect went limp.

  He placed his foot on its head and twisted to pull out his machete when he heard movement to his right. From the beam of the flashlight mounted on his abandoned weapon, he saw another centipede emerge from underneath the adjacent subway car. Leaving his machete, David limped after Jason and the others.

  Franco lifted Bill and dumped him on the platform, keeping his head low so that Jeanette could get a clear shot at the centipedes chasing him. She stopped firing and dragged Bill inside. Franco climbed up. Spinning around, he grabbed the door handle. A centipede crawled across the platform and curved its upper body inside the car. He slammed the door on the insect, trapping it. Its head swung to the left, the mandibles snapping at Franco’s legs. The Spaniard stepped back, his weight still pressed against the door.

  “I need some help here!”

  Jeanette ran up. She aimed her AK-47 and pulled the trigger, but heard a metallic click. She was out of ammunition. Popping out the empty magazine, she grabbed a full one from off her belt.

  A second centipede crawled over the first, shoving its way through the opening. Reloading and pulling back the slide, Jeanette aimed and fired. The bullets ripped through the two insects. The door slammed shut as a third centipede attempted to gain access. Its mandibles clacked against the glass, trying to get at Franco.

  “Are you all right?” Jeanette asked.

  “Just scared.” Franco struggled to regain his breath.

  Jeanette focused her attention to Bill. The centipede’s severed head was still attached to his leg. She pulled out her bayonet.

  “How are you doing?”

  “My left leg is numb,” Bill gasped. “Will I be okay?”

  “You should be. First, we got to get out of here.”

  The mandibles were locked. With no time to be delicate, and with Bill’s leg numb anyway, Jeanette dug the tip of the bayonet underneath the left side of the appendage and twisted. Blood pooled around the wound. Using the blade for leverage, she popped out the mandible. The severed head dropped to the metal floor, leaving two holes the size of golf balls in Bill’s leg. Blood stained his green flight suit. They could worry about patching it later.

  Franco helped Bill to his feet and draped the American’s left arm over his shoulder. “Let’s get out of here.”

  The three set off after Sasha and the others.

  Haneef climbed aboard the subway car last after having helped Lucifer and Lilith on board. “Where’s David?”

  Jason looked down the tunnel. He saw David’s automatic weapon on the tracks, the beam at an awkward angle. “The centipedes must have gotten him.”

  “May Allah be with him.”

  Jason closed the door and locked it.

  Sasha followed Sook-kyoung down the subway car. Every few seconds she gazed over her shoulder to see if the others were there. She saw only Doc and Neal. Her heart sank.

  She slammed into Sook-kyoung, who stood in the center of the aisle. “Why did you stop?”

  “Because of that.”

  A large object blocked their path. Globular in shape, it extended up to the ceiling and out to the walls. It was milky-white, with the texture of silk. A curtain of cobwebs covered the space behind it. Sook-kyoung reached out to feel it.

  “Don’t do tha—” warned Sasha. The minute the Korean’s hand touched the object, a crack ran down its surface. Spiders pushed through the opening and swarmed into the subway car. Each had the appearance of a tarantula, with brown-and-black mottled fur, only these were the size of cats.

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Jason had almost reached the end of the first subway car when he heard David banging on the window. “Let me in!”

  Jason raced back, knowing deep down he would never make it in time. He reached the door and flipped the lock. Before he could open it, a centipede lifted itself up and plunged its mandibles into David’s arm. He fell onto the tracks. Two other centipedes swirled around him and pounced
, one biting his leg and the other his neck. David’s scream changed to a gurgle. Closing his eyes and saying a silent prayer for the man who had protected him since CERN, Jason locked the door again and set off after the others.

  Sasha grabbed Sook-kyoung’s shoulder and shoved her to the rear. She aimed the minigun at the sac and squeezed the trigger. The bullets blasted it apart, allowing more spiders to swarm out. Some crawled up the walls and across the ceiling, while even more scurried down the aisle. Sasha fell back, aiming at those that were closest. The roar within the confines of the car was deafening. She squinted to see through the glare of the barrels and the cloud of gunpowder smoke. Several stray rounds ricocheted off the metal walls and bounced around inside. Swinging the minigun back and forth, Sasha tried to kill as many of the arachnids as possible. There were too many to get them all.

  Doc ran up to Sook-kyoung. “What’s wrong?”

  “Spiders!” she croaked. “Hundreds of them!”

  Sasha’s gun stopped spitting bullets. There were no more rounds left in her backpack. At least sixty spiders still crawled across the floor and walls.

  “I’m out,” she said.

  “What do we do now?” asked Neal.

  “We make a run for it.”

  Jason entered the second car when he heard Sasha’s minigun come to life in the adjacent train. To his left, he saw the flashes of muzzle fire through the dirty windows, but could not make out what was attacking her. Not that it mattered. He had to get out of the train before he could help her and Jeanette.

  Sasha ran down the subway car, pushing through the swarm of spiders. One of the arachnids launched itself off the wall and landed on the ammo pack. It couldn’t maintain its grip and slid off.

  Sook-kyoung shouldered her FAMAS and withdrew her machete. She leaned her head back so Doc and Neal could hear. “Keep close to me. Yell if you get into trouble.”

  Sook-kyoung set off after Sasha. A spider jumped from the floor toward her. She slashed out with the machete, cutting it in half. Two more dropped from the ceiling. One landed on Doc’s back, the other the saddlebag carrying the antimatter device. Doc yelped. Neal knocked away the first one. The second raced across the bag and onto Doc’s arm. Neal swatted it onto the floor and kicked it aside.

  As they passed through the remains of the sac, a spider leaped off the back of one of the seats and landed on Neal’s left arm. Its fangs dug into his skin, injecting him with venom to paralyze the muscles and enzymes to liquefy them. Neal stopped running and tried to pry off the arachnid. Sook-kyoung ran back to Neal and spun him so the spider faced her. She placed the machete against Neal’s arm and ran the blade down the length, slicing away the arachnid.

  “God,” Neal squeezed below the wound. “It feels like it’s on fire.”

  Sook-kyoung pushed Neal ahead of her. “Don’t stop if you want to live.”

  By the time Jason reached the end of the subway train and jumped out into the tunnel, the others were waiting for him. They had also heard the battle going on inside the adjacent train, and were looking nervously at each other. Lucifer and Lilith perked up when they saw him. His group was at the entrance to Concorde Station and were exposed.

  “What’s going on with Sasha?” asked Haneef.

  “Did any of you think of helping her?” snapped Jason.

  “You told us not to go back for anyone,” explained Franco.

  “Without Jeanette, we don’t know how to get out of here. And Doc’s trapped in there with the device.” Jason moved toward the other subway train. “Ray, you’re with me. The rest of you stay here and make sure those centipedes don’t overrun us.”

  Jason and Ray rushed to the end of the adjacent train, opened the door, and disappeared inside.

  The others stepped into the station about thirty feet, their flashlights, and weapons aimed at the tracks beneath the two trains, waiting for the centipedes to catch up with them.

  Josh and Shane rushed into the car with the shattered sac and stopped. Sensing their presence, several of the spiders crawled in their direction.

  “You know, I hate spiders almost as much as I hate rats.”

  “Then now might be a good time to haul ass, buddy.” Josh sprinted down the car. He plowed ahead like his old days on the football field, running as fast as he could. He kept his eyes on the spiders in front of him. Several lunged. He dodged each one, ducking and weaving as best he could in the confines of the aisle. One landed on his arm, but he brushed it off before it could bite. Shane followed, opting for the more frantic approach, flailing his arms wildly as he ran. Three spiders jumped at him, each belted away before they could land on him. Shane didn’t care how ridiculous he looked as long as he made it out alive.

  Inside the subway station, Reinhard detected a heavy scent of uric acid. He had no idea what generated it, although he figured it couldn’t be anything good. Stepping to his left, he shone his flashlight on the subway platform, slowly spanning its length. He didn’t see anything.

  Lilith whimpered. The werehound sat beside Reinhard, her ears folded down and her eyes wide with fear. Lucifer stepped backward, away from the opposite end of the station. Reinhard shone his flashlight in that direction and felt his bladder empty into his flight suit.

  “Mann muss sein verarschen mich.”

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Haneef saw what had caused the German’s outburst. All he could say was, “Allah is definitely not with us today.”

  A tarantula the size of an armored car lumbered out of the tunnel at the opposite end of the station. Its eyes glowed in the glare of the flashlights. It inched forward in their direction.

  “I think that’s a good enough reason to expend ammunition,” said Haneef.

  “I’m not arguing.” Reinhard stepped aside to give him a better shot.

  Haneef aimed his minigun and squeezed the trigger.

  Jason and Ray had climbed into the subway car when Sasha collided into them. She cried out and pushed him away until she realized who it was, and gave him a hug. He knew by her panicked expression that something bad was going down.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  “No.”

  Sook-kyoung pushed past them and headed for the exit, practically shoving Ray into the seats as she ran by.

  “What’s going on?” Ray called after her.

  “The train is infested with oversized spiders,” panted Sasha, trying to get her breath.

  Doc ran passed, with Neal in tow. “We have to get out of here.”

  “Where are the others?” Jason asked.

  “Behind us.” Sasha ran off.

  Jason peered down the subway car. He didn’t see anyone else.

  Haneef stood in the center of the station, directing a steady stream of gunfire into the tarantula. The first hundred rounds bounced off its exoskeleton. He wondered if they would be able to stop this particular Hell Spawn, and began searching for an escape route. The concentrated stream of fire soon took its toll. The arachnid stopped and shook. It started to move away when its thorax erupted, exploding chunks of gore and yellowish-green blood across the platform. The massive legs collapsed, and the shattered carcass collapsed onto the tracks.

  Haneef relaxed his arms, letting the minigun dangle by his side, and breathed a sigh of relief. Every muscle in his body felt drained.

  “I didn’t think you were going to stop that thing,” said Antoine.

  “Neither did I.” Haneef noticed that the two werehounds still seemed spooked, both staring at the opposite end of the station. Lilith whimpered again. Reinhard raised his flashlight and stepped to the right, shining the beam past the carcass. From deeper down the tunnel, two more giant tarantulas approached, each the same size as the first.

  The others sought guidance from Haneef. He sighed. He had used up more than half of his backpack taking down the first tarantula, and didn’t have enough left to defeat these two.

  A scurrying noise came from behind them. A centipede emerged from underneath one of
the subway cars. It paused as its antennae swirled in the air, searching for prey.

  Haneef used his head to motion toward the subway cars. “Reinhard, Slava, guard my back. The rest of you, get out of here now.”

  Haneef summoned every ounce of energy he could muster, lifted the minigun, and maneuvered to get a better shot at the approaching tarantulas.

  Jason heard the roar of Haneef’s minigun. “Shit!”

  The sound of running feet caught his attention, and he directed his flashlight down the car to see Josh and Shane approaching. Jason stood in the aisle to block their path. “Where’s Jeanette and the others?”

  “They were supposed to be right behind us,” Josh wheezed. “I heard a commotion at the door. I think the centipedes got them. Sorry.”

  Shane pointed toward the station. “What’s going on out there?”

  Jason didn’t know, and that bothered him. Haneef wouldn’t be using up so much ammunition on a minor threat. And they still had the centipedes to contend with. Doc, and more importantly, the antimatter device, were safe. As much as he hated to admit it, Jeanette and the others would be here by now if they had made it passed the insects. He had to do what was good for the group, not his heart.

  He pushed Josh and Shane down the aisle. “Let’s get out of here while we still can.”

  Before following the others out, Jason paused long enough to peer down the subway car one last time.

  Jeanette led the way. They moved slowly because Franco supported Bill, and it was difficult to maneuver down the aisle. What worried her was that she could see the centipedes racing along the windows on the exterior of the car, and could hear their legs darting across the metal roof. The insects would more than likely be waiting for them when they exited.

  Jeanette stopped when she entered the car with the spider sac and tried to take in the situation. “We’ve got a problem.”

  “What no—?” Franco’s words trailed off when he saw the spiders spreading out along the walls and ceiling.

  “Leave me here,” said Bill. “I’m slowing you down.”