by Michael Todd
Katie cut her eyes at him. “Can we get serious here? There are about a thousand demons heading this way. We need to be secure.”
“This is practice. This is making us secure.” Juntto gave her a forced smile and tossed the rest out, letting the guys go nuts.
A young soldier fired his rifle until it clicked empty. The demon in front of him had four arms, and it was using all of them to try to disembowel the young man. Calvin yelled and leaped over the soldier, startling them both. He blasted the demon in the back of the head just as it was about to slash the soldier in the stomach. The guy nodded and ran off, grabbing another batch of ammo. The soldier immediately reloaded and began firing, taking out a line of demons with one swipe of his rifle.
Brock and the other guys came running out of the front gate to the castle and stopped in front of Calvin. “The castle is clear. From what we can see, this is the only way in. Unless they slip by us, it is protected.”
Calvin slapped him on the shoulder. “Good work. Let’s help them get the Gatling guns set up. Those motherfuckers are heavy.”
Brock’s team helped set the massive machines up on the edge of a wall. Eddie held one in place while Sean stacked stones and fallen bricks around it.
Sean wiggled the gun. “Secure?”
“As secure as it’s going to be.” Eddie called the gunner over and they moved on, setting up three more guns the same way. They had four in total, and they were all vital to the battle.
Juntto picked up three missile launchers as two soldiers struggled to lift one. He nodded at them and walked to the front lines. The frost giant propped them on a crumbling wall, then found three guys and showed them the launchers. “You launch missiles. Okay?”
The guys looked at each other and then nodded excitedly. Juntto helped each of them steady a missile launcher on his shoulders. Katie tapped three more guys to join them, pointing to the cases of missiles. The soldiers began loading the missiles into the backs of the launchers. They flipped safety switches down and tapped their comrades on the backs, then took cover.
As the guns began to fire into the approaching crowds of demons, the RPGs let loose, launching missiles into the horde. It looked like a scene from a civil war movie, explosions going off all over the fields. Demon bodies flew in pieces in all directions. Ammunition shells clinked against the black stone as the Gatling guns fired hundreds of rounds one after the other.
The drones flew high above them, watching the battle and the soldiers fighting it. In the castle, Katie walked up to an overlook. There are a lot of fucking demons down here.
There are a lot of fucked-up humans up here. Kind of equals out. I’m pretty sure there’s a demon somewhere in this crew that infected that tyrant Hitler you guys talk about so much. His demon flesh was carved with the swastika as a constant reminder of his failure on Earth.
Katie scoffed. Failure? He killed hundreds of thousands. Millions.
Pandora laughed. Takes a lot more down here to impress his diabolic highness and his slew of whores.
The bar in Boston was packed to the gills. People were observing a day of mourning for those lost in the attacks on Cohasset. They drank beer and took shots, toasting the victims. They droned on about the demon invaders, and what they would do if they could get their hands on them. Little did Boston know, they had been on Moloch’s list. He simply hadn’t made it that far.
“Fuckin’ demons. Send ’em all back to hell where they belong!” someone yelled, followed by a rousing cheer and the clinking of glasses.
The bartender climbed up on the bar. “Everyone shut up. There’s a special report!”
She turned up the television and the whole bar fell silent. The newscaster looked wildly at the camera. “We are getting a special report from the United States government. There has been a retaliatory strike made by the US in conjunction with Katie. It’s hard to describe this event, so we will now bring you footage straight from the government, recorded in…hell.”
The screen flipped to drone footage of hell. Demons were swarming up the side of a cliff while troops stood on the edge firing guns and missiles down into the crowd of beasts. One drone panned to Katie, who was standing on a crumbling castle wall firing her twin guns into the crowd below. Everyone in the bar cheered as soon as she came on the screen.
The video continued to play as the newscaster talked. “It is being reported that we have, in fact, attacked hell. The strike force includes three mercenaries, four Special Ops Damned, and twenty troops. They went through a portal into hell just moments ago. They are armed with the best equipment the military has available. We have not been told what their mission is, but we can confirm that we have attacked hell.”
The people in the bar were silent, but then a voice cut through the quiet. “We finally fucking did it. We attacked hell!”
Someone raised their glass. “I knew the government wouldn’t fail us. They’ve been researching this shit all along.”
The newscaster watched the footage in awe, along with the audience. “Now remember, folks, if you are sensitive, you might want to look away. This footage is being streamed live with no edits.”
Everyone in the bar began to cheer on the battle. The camera captured a soldier falling under an onslaught of demons, then being pulled from danger by a group of rifle-carrying soldiers. The wounded man was carried back through the portal behind them. It was a bad scene for sure, but it gave hope to any human who was watching.
One of the older patrons stood up. He was wearing a Vietnam Veteran hat. “God bless our soldiers and their sacrifices.”
“Hear, hear,” the whole bar yelled.
Moloch was celebrating in his lair with Baal by his side. The two of them were surrounded by goodies from live kittens to deep-fried gerbils. They had dipping sauces for everything, and several empty bottles of wine were lined up on the table. Servants scurried in and out as they collected empty dishes and replaced anything that was running low.
The mood in the lair was jovial, to say the least.
“My compliments to your chef.”
Baal waved the compliment away. “He turned out quite nicely, didn’t he?”
Moloch swallowed a gerbil, then held up his glass and smiled. “To us. We may not have hit all our targets, but I think over two thousand dead is pretty impressive. The Killers and that bitch Pandora didn’t even know what was coming. They showed up when the carnage was almost finished.”
Baal laughed loudly and a kitten tried to jump from his mouth. He chomped down on it and swallowed hard, clanking his cup with Moloch’s. “The beauty of the looks on their faces—it was priceless. My favorite part was when the demons were first discovered because of that nasty child in her pink dress. The mother looked like she was about to drop dead right there.”
Moloch held his belly as he laughed. “Oh, Lucifer, it was magnificent. The demons attacked her like a pack of wild dogs. I loved that. I knew it would be good to keep them caged up and hungry. They were even more feral than when they first became demons. I can remember a time I was that bloodthirsty. I was beautiful.”
Baal pointed at the television. “Let’s watch some more clips from the news. They can’t stop playing them.”
Moloch waved one hand to turn on the screen. An old woman was shaking like a leaf. “And then my Harold grabbed his gun, kissed me like we were twenty, and ran out the door. They say he killed two before he was taken down. He is a pure hero to me, just like back in the war.”
Moloch made a pouty face. “Oh, poor Harold. I’m pretty sure Harold’s body will be recovered in pieces. I saw an old man ripped apart.”
The demons burst into laughter.
Baal choked on his gerbil and hit his chest, sending it flying across the room. “Oh, I can’t. This is too much. Remind me again why we didn’t attack the other places?”
Moloch waved his hands. “That one was more successful than I ever thought possible, and my revenge was satisfied. Not a peep from those assholes since then. They are sc
ared to death.”
Just then the screen flipped to the newscaster. “I’m sorry to interrupt this recap, but information is coming in fast. Apparently, there is a video feed being routed to us as we speak directly from the government. Hold one second, the details are streaming to me right now.”
The newscaster listened for a moment and then looked at the screen with wide eyes. “Reports from the White House have been verified. The government, in connection with Katie and the Killers, have put together a task force. As you are watching this, an elite strike force is fighting a battle in hell itself.”
Moloch spat out his half-chewed bunny and leaned forward. “What?”
“We take you now to the live feed.”
The screen flipped, and Baal and Moloch both sat there with their mouths open, watching the troops fighting on the terrace of the old castle. They had all kinds of weapons, and were really putting a hurt on the demons racing toward them. Moloch slammed his hands on the chair arms and jumped up, running to the window.
He squinted into the distance as hordes of demons raced from the inner ring, heading in that direction. Moloch’s entire body clenched and he marched to the closet, swinging open the door. He pulled his armor out and gripped his great spiked club tightly in one hand.
Baal nervously approached him. “You shouldn’t. They are trying to lure you out.”
Moloch roared. “Good! I’ll stick my foot up that bitch’s ass so far I’ll be able to open and close her mouth with my big toe!”
Baal knocked a platter of kittens to the floor, and the servants scurried everywhere trying to collect them. Baal pulled the napkin from his neck and stood as tall as he could. “I will come with you, then.”
Moloch waved him off. “You are too old for battle, Baal. Sit here and keep an eye on things. If anything happens to me, though, you better come out there and save my ass.” Moloch turned to his head servant. “Go sound the alarms. I need all my biggest demons front and center for this. If Pandora and the other humanoids want to bring war to my doorstep, I will meet them with the best I’ve got. This bitch is going to be buried so far beneath the lava that she will never climb out.”
Moloch stomped out of the room, leaving Baal perplexed and nervous. He turned back to the television and slumped down in his chair, then picked up a guinea pig and popped it into his mouth, watching intently as the war waged on the screen in front of him. Demons were being blasted in all directions. Baal had been around long enough to know that even if Moloch survived, he was going to have to answer to Lucifer. There was no way the king would let this intrusion slide.
Katie fired into the demons as she approached a squad of soldiers, waving a dozen men to her. “Men, grab your weapons, but also take bombs for the traps. We are rolling the big guy down there right now, but we need the small ones farther out. They will set off a chain reaction. In order for this to work, you have to fight the demons back as you go. The men up here will cover you to the best of their ability, but keep your eyes open. We don’t want to start setting this shit off early.”
The men agreed and ran off to gather supplies. Brock came up and looked at Katie. “What can we do?”
Katie pointed at the front line below. “Help them set up, and then get out of there. They could use some cover, too. We’re doing the best we can from up here, but there are demons slipping through. I need those men to concentrate. I don’t want to blow up today. That isn’t on my schedule.”
Brock chuckled. “Mine either. We’ll go down and hold the line. You want the men back through the portal when they’re done?”
“Yeah, we want to have to evacuate as few men as possible when it comes time. Once all the traps are set, we will start relieving the front riflemen and missile launchers.”
Brock saluted her. “Yes, ma’am. We’ve got your back.”
Katie grabbed Calvin as he ran past. “I want you to start evacuating all nonessential personnel through the portal. We are setting up the bombs below. When they are in place, we have to get the hell out of here.”
“What about the weapons? We can’t leave them here for the demons, can we? I mean, we don’t really want that shit falling into their grubby claws.”
Katie shook her head. “With the kind of explosive firepower we have, everything will be blown to bits.”
Calvin gave her a thumbs-up and ran off. He paused long enough to lift two injured soldiers off the ground and help them through the portal.
Pandora sniffed the air. Uh-oh, something is stirring. I can smell it. Do you feel that rush of heat?
Katie closed her eyes and let her senses feel around. Yeah. It’s like a warm breeze on a fucking sizzling hot day. What is that?
Pandora sighed. Something or someone is on their way up from the inner ring. I can promise you he will not be traveling alone. We need to get these traps set up right now.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Move them to the right,” Katie yelled as she fired into the crowd of demons.
She jumped off the ledge, landing between two claymores, and glanced at Calvin with wide eyes.
Careful. Don’t start the party early.
Nope. No party here.
She leaped again to the front of the demon line and started throwing them out of the way. The ground shook beneath her feet, and almost as one, all the demons stopped and stared into the distance.
Pandora groaned. This cannot be good.
Katie followed their gazes about half a mile and her breath came short.
Moloch was rushing toward them in spiked iron armor, carrying a huge spiked club in one gnarled hand. Behind him were legions upon legions of large demons, all carrying some sort of crude weapon. Katie took a deep breath, readying her nerves.
Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.
No, this is exactly what we wanted.
Katie spun and pointed to the soldiers holding the RPGs. “Blast him with missiles! The big fucker! Get him!”
The line of soldiers took aim and fired, sending missiles in his direction. He batted two away with his great club, but the third got through and exploded against his knees. He tripped and tumbled down the hill. He rolled head over feet, smashing smaller demons and crumbling large chunks of rock. “Fuck, dick, fucking shit!”
He cursed the entire way down the mountain, every human and every demon watching in horror. The demons knew he would be pissed as shit when he finally stopped, but the rest of them found it kind of amusing. Not only that, but the large idiot demons behind him figured that was what they were supposed to do. One by one they stopped on the hill, scratched their heads, and then leaped forward, tumbling down the scorched incline.
Pandora laughed. Holy hell, that is the funniest fucking thing I’ve seen in a long time.
This is amazing. I’m speechless.
Those fucking morons. Oh, and Katie…
Yeah?
You might want to get the fuck out of here.
The ground started to rumble, and a horrible sound filled the air—the shrieking of tens of thousands of demons as they came rolling over the hills from all directions. The sounds of horns blowing could be heard all across hell, and every able demon was answering the call. The army was massive. It was nothing Katie or even Juntto could handle.
Katie ran toward her soldiers. “Retreat! Fucking run!”
The soldiers began to jump across the killing field and run for the castle steps. Some yelled as they leaped through the portal. Others looked back, stealing one last glimpse of the army of hell. It was a sight that no human, and precious few angels, had ever seen before. There were thousands of them in all shapes and sizes—a great, writhing, clawing, screeching horde that descended upon the castle.
Calvin was stone-faced, staring at the demons. He was mesmerized by the sight of them. It was like a scene from a movie. They reminded him of giant ferocious ants, but ants that had the ability to rip him to shreds. He shook his head. “I think we pissed off the ants!”
Pandora chuckled. Yeah, you knocked th
eir queen down a fucking mountain. They know they are going to get it for that one.
Katie slapped Calvin on the chest. “We gotta get everyone the fuck out of here so we can blow this shit.”
Calvin lifted a wounded man in each arm and rushed for the portal.
Katie pulled another soldier to his feet, putting his arm over her shoulder. They limped forward as fast as possible, but the demons were starting to gain on them. Katie took out her gun and fired into the crowd. A few demons dropped, but they kept rushing forward. Katie was slowed by the man she was carrying.
He shook his haggard face. “It’s too late.”
“Fuck that.”
Katie propped the soldier against the wall, then stepped away from him and summoned her angel energies. Pandora ducked down inside of Katie. Oh hell, Slut Girl is fucking pissed now.
Katie screamed as she pushed the energy from her chest, exploding a ring of pure power outward. It slammed into the first ten rows of demons and sent them flying backward, toppling others like dominos.
“See? No fuckin’ problem.”
She grabbed the wounded soldier and rushed him toward the stairs. Eddie and Sean were at the portal helping soldiers through, and they took the soldier from Katie. “Should we go?”
Katie dusted off her hands. “I’ve got some scores to settle.” She grabbed a missile launcher from a stack of weapons, then caught the eye of a soldier guarding the ammunition. “Toss me a missile.”
He hesitated. “Toss it?”
She waved her hand and nodded. He grabbed one and carefully threw it to her underhand. She loaded the launcher and swung it onto her shoulder, then took aim and pressed the button. The missile flew out of the launcher and slammed into the fifth row of demons, blowing more than a hundred of them to bits.
But still they came.
With a warrior’s scream, Juntto leaped from the castle walls. He raised two impossibly large fists high and sent them crashing down into the demons as he landed. He swung his hands like hammers, knocking demons in all directions. He laughed loudly, loving the fight.