Dendoncker nodded. The men got to work. They still had their camping supplies from their earlier mission, and it wasn’t long before they had some tuck heating over a pair of portable stoves. Tony ate a mouthful of baked beans and then left them to it.
He had to hand it to Thomas, the general had performed an impressive feat organising such a force, and there were plenty of Wickstaff’s people camped out too, showing he’d got a majority of Portsmouth on his side. He was a consummate politician, but that was a problem. Politicians had a habit of sending men to their deaths. Back in the Middle East, Thomas had been reined in by the fact he had needed to work with several other leaders. Before that, he had answered to the UK’s war council. Now he answered to nothing but his own ego. He was a successful general with no reason to doubt himself.
But Tony was fearful.
He feared for the thousands of innocent people all around him, setting up in the streets and parklands for a night’s sleep that would likely end with torn-open guts and half-eaten necks. Tony wanted to scream and shout for everybody to run and hide, to get themselves back to Portsmouth, but it would be useless. Even if people listened, Thomas would have Tony arrested and shot for insubordination. The only way out of this was to remove Thomas as the man in charge. Then, whether Tony liked the idea or not, he would have to take charge.
“It’s time for you to go, old man.”
Tony went to find Thomas, deciding he would act as soon as the opportunity arose.
Mass and his team waited until dusk before scaling a wall on the southern area of Portsmouth’s docklands. At first he had considered doing what Tony had told him to do -- to head north and find safety – but that wasn’t who he was. This was his city. He had fought for it. He wasn’t going to tuck his tail between his legs and run. And so here he was, back in Portsmouth.
The civilian area comprised closely built warehouses and offices, which made it easy to slink in undetected. It was a concern, seeing as demons would likely get in just as effortlessly, but there were many guard stations and walls further north that would, at the very least, impede their progress any further.
“So, you really were telling the truth,” said Smithy, looking around in awe. “Portsmouth’s real.”
Tox put a finger on his lips and warned Smithy to keep his voice down. “You doubted us? Why would we lie?”
“You had to keep a carrot on the stick or I might have done a runner. It would’ve broken your heart to see me leave.”
Addy rolled her eyes. “Wasn’t keeping you alive enough of an incentive?”
Mass waved his hand to get their attention. “Come on. Let’s check the lie of the land.”
An old fisherman stood on the docks, attaching bait to his hook. Mass vaguely recognised him, which meant the man had been in the city since before Thomas arrived. It still baffled Mass that an entire army had appeared during his absence, but the multiple strangers he’d already spotted while sneaking inside the city confirmed it. At least this old man was part of the Portsmouth he knew.
Mass didn’t want to startle the fisherman, so he straightened up and removed his hood before approaching. The old guy noticed him and waved. “Good to see you back in Portsmouth, sir.”
“You know me?”
“Everyone knows you. The mighty Mass.”
Mass frowned, not liking that nickname one bit. “Looks like things have changed while I’ve been away. There’s a new sheriff in town.”
The fisherman nodded. “General Thomas took over after we lost Wickstaff. You know about her death, I take it? Bloody demons.”
“Yeah, demons. So where can I find this new general? I should introduce myself.”
“Huh? Didn’t you spot the massive army leaving Portsmouth? Thomas headed out this morning to wipe the demons out once and for all. You must have just missed him.”
Mass had been wondering why Portsmouth seemed a little quiet. The chit-chat wasn’t as loud and there weren’t as many campfires. “I took the long way into town,” he said. “They headed north, I’m guessing?”
“What other direction is there to go? I’m just glad I got to stay here. Don’t much fancy being out there on the road at my age.”
Mass nodded. “You’re right. This is the safest place. Cheers for the info.”
“No problem, friend. Hey, if you see Diane, tell her I’ve got some lovely steamed pollack set aside, but it won’t keep forever.”
Mass frowned. “Why would Diane come around here? She lives in the port administration building.”
“Not no more she don’t. She moved over here to get away from it all. Don’t think she gets on with General Thomas, to tell the truth. It must have knocked her nose out of joint, seeing as she was part of Wickstaff’s inner circle. It were too much responsibility for a young lass anyway.”
Mass put his hood back up, ready to exit the conversation. “Diane’s as capable as anyone in Portsmouth. When I see her, I’ll tell her how much respect you have for her.”
The fisherman put down his bloody tackle and folded his arms. “Now, there’s no need to go telling tales, lad.”
“Have a good night.” Mass returned to the others, who were still out of sight in an alleyway between the warehouses.
Addy looked at him. “Well? Learn anything?”
“Seems like Thomas took everyone out on the road – an entire army.”
Addy folded her arms. “So, what… he’s declaring jihad on the demons?”
“Sounds like a good plan to me,” said Tox. “He could finally end this. Aren’t you tired of fighting?”
Smithy placed a palm against his temple. “Are you soft in the head? Crimolok’s heading this way with his merry band of demonic dickheads. Thomas is marching everyone right into a smackdown.”
“And leaving Portsmouth poorly defended,” added Mass.
Tox clearly disagreed, huffing and puffing before he responded. “Thomas must know about Crimolok. How could he not? Portsmouth has scouts all over the place.”
“Not that far north,” said Mass. “We’ve come twenty miles since this morning, at least.”
Smithy arched his back and groaned. “Yeah, no shit. I’m ready to drop.”
Mass turned to Addy. “Go get the others. We’ll set the women up somewhere safe before we do anything. Hopefully there’re still people around we can count on as friends.”
Tox nodded. “I know a couple of guys who look after supplies in this area. I’ll go see if they’re still around. What those women need is a warm bed and hot food.”
Mass nodded and waved. “Go!”
Addy brought forward the women and the rest of the Urban Vampires. Cullen was leading them, but he had a grim look on his face. “The city seems deserted,” he said. “Does anybody know why?”
Mass told them about Thomas and his army.
“That’s good,” said Cullen.
Addy frowned. “Why is it good?”
“Because it means we can take back Portsmouth in his absence.”
It sounded good in theory, but Mass doubted it would be that easy. “Thomas wouldn’t have left the city defenceless. We’ll need more than just us to take over. Even if we manage it, Thomas can easily take it back.”
“That depends on what happens out on the road,” said Cullen. “Least we can do is make life hard for the bastard if he survives and makes it back. I’m telling you, we should find out who’s running things around here and take them out.”
Mass didn’t like it one bit. A lot could go wrong. It was too difficult a decision for him to make alone. “I… I need to speak with Diane. If anyone knows the situation in Portsmouth, it’s her.”
“She’s dead,” said a voice from behind them. It spoke from the shadows.
Mass raised his shotgun. “Who’s there? Show yourself.”
A young shaven-headed man stepped out of the darkness. “I come in peace.”
“We’ll be the judge of that,” said Tox, and he made a grab for the stranger.
The s
tranger put up a hand and glared. “If your hand touches me, you lose it.”
Tox wasn’t usually one to suffer intimidation, but he recoiled and stepped back. Something about the stranger’s dark eyes suggested danger, too unflinching, too unconcerned.
“Who are you?” Mass demanded again.
“Damien. I was trying to help your friend, Diane, but I did a bad job. She headed out to kill General Thomas. Even if she gets the job done, I doubt she’ll be coming back. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”
Smithy cleared his throat and looked at Mass. “Who exactly is this Diane you all keep talking about?”
Mass ignored him, keeping his eyes on the stranger named Damien. “Why the hell would Diane head out to kill Thomas?”
“You’re Mass, right? Lotta people been counting on you being alive. Thomas has been taking care of business while you’ve been gone, executing people in public, playing games with his enemies. He had Diane’s number from the start, but she couldn’t keep her head and play the game. I tried to help her, but she was too far gone. Revenge was the only thing left for her. I’ve seen some things, let me tell you, but that girl scares me.”
Mass didn’t trust this guy. Something about him was off. “What do you want, Damien?”
“To help. I thought I could do it from the shadows, but it turns out I’m not really the consigliere type.”
Mass frowned. “The hell does that mean?”
“It means he’s a fan of The Godfather,” said Smithy. He put his fingers and thumbs together and said, “I’m-a gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.”
Damien smirked. “It means I’m no good at giving advice. There’s only one thing I’m good at.”
“And what’s that?” asked Mass.
“Fucking shit up.”
Smithy tittered. “That’s so badass. You should have your own comic book.”
Damien glared. “You remind me of someone I used to know. Guy called Jerry.”
“Handsome, was he?”
“Dead.”
Smithy winced. “Downer. Well, I for one am happy to have a self-described badass on the team. Pleased to meet you, Damien.” The two men shook hands, but Smithy ended up rubbing his palm as though it ached. “That’s quite the icy mitt you’ve got there.”
“Yeah, sorry about that. A consequence of being dead.”
Tox spluttered. “Say what now?”
Damien cleared his throat. “We can go into that later, but right now there’s work to do. I heard you all talking, and you’re right, there’s not enough of you to take over Portsmouth. Luckily, Diane was busy while you were gone. Turns out, Thomas isn’t as popular as he thinks.”
People emerged from the shadows behind Damien. At first, just a couple, then almost thirty men and women appeared.
“Diane was my friend,” said a woman.
“The fucker killed Tom,” said a man.
“There’s no way that old bastard wasn’t involved in Wickstaff’s death,” said someone else, the anger clear in their voice.
Mass couldn’t help but smile. Alongside the people Mass had brought back to Portsmouth, they now had a respectable force. Thomas had made a mistake trying to take over Portsmouth, assuming it to be a city. But it wasn’t a city, it was a family.
And families stuck together.
11
The flare lit up the sky like a firework. Tony had been propped against a gnarled oak tree with roots the length of a tennis court. He was only half-asleep, which meant he was, at first, only vaguely aware that something was happening. He didn’t truly wake up until the first chatter of gunfire. At that point he bolted upright and grabbed his rifle.
Time’s up.
Tony had sought to eliminate Thomas, but the general had been sleeping in a tent guarded by several men. The time hadn’t been right. Now it might be too late.
The camp erupted, thousands of men and women spreading out around the playing fields and nearby buildings. Many were set up in firing nests on upper floors, or embedded inside vehicles. Those in the parklands formed a wide circle, covering every angle of approach with their rifles. Reserves stood within and without the circle, taking cover behind trees and inside shop doorways. Tony headed to Thomas, whose tent stood directly in the centre of the main playing field. The general had puffy eyes and grey skin, as though woken unceremoniously from a deep slumber.
“They’re here,” said Tony. “I warned you they were coming.”
“Yes, Colonel, you did, and like before we shall deal with them. The men know what they face.”
“No, they don’t!”
Thomas rolled his eyes, making Tony want to punch him. “A giant beast, yes. We are more than capable of dealing with it.” Thomas pointed to the rear of the circle, where a L118 light gun had been parked and unlimbered. The men called the modern-day howitzer ‘Lulu’, and it was a veteran of the conflict in the Middle East. Two more existed in Portsmouth for home defence. “That gun has one job and we need only to ensure it has enough time to do it. We took down several giants in the desert with less.”
“But this one is bigger, and it could be invulnerable, like the others were in the beginning.”
“The gates are all closed, Colonel. That thing will bleed, I promise you. Either way, the fight is upon us, and it’s your duty to make sure that we meet it as true British heroes. This is our moment – the turning point of history. Be a part of it, Tony. Stand with me.”
Tony tried to swallow, but his mouth was dry. He let out a sigh. Arguing was a waste of time and energy that they couldn’t afford. “I’m with you, Thomas, but only because there’s no other choice. After this battle is through, you can have my fucking resignation.”
With a bullet to the head.
Thomas appeared genuinely hurt for a moment, but he soon settled on anger. “Resignation accepted in advance. I suggest you consider your future wisely, Tony, or you might find you don’t have one.”
“If things go badly here, none of us do.”
Before the general could speak again, Tony turned tail and ran. There was no sign of where the threat was coming from, so he picked a section of the circular firing line at random. As it turned out, the threat came from everywhere at once.
Coughing gunfire met demonic screeching. The men had orders to be conservative with their ammo, but it was hard to pick targets in the dark. They had searchlights pointed at the nearby buildings, but shadowy gaps existed in several places and wrecked vehicles obscured many of the sight lines. More than ten thousand men and women were crammed together, standing in each other’s way.
When Tony spotted the first demon, he thought he might have imagined it. The slight flicker of movement, a disturbance in the shadows, quickly grew into an endless flow of monsters. Directly in front of Tony, two dozen at least came clambering from beneath the collapsed awning of a French restaurant.
The battle raged. Tony picked his first shot, taking the head off a primate as two more leapt in behind it. Someone else in the firing line took both monsters out with a long burst of rifle fire.
Amongst the staccato of combat rifles, shotguns roared. Handguns popped. Machine guns rattled, spaced every fifty feet along the circle. Demon blood erupted into the air, coating the masonry of the various buildings and painting them red. Guts and innards slopped on the road. The demons slid and fell in the offal of their own dead. All the while, the firing line continued its assault, bullets hitting flesh a hundred times a second. Tony started to believe they had a chance. The demons kept coming, but they were being massacred. They had to run out of bodies sometime. How many could there be? How many had been hiding during the previous months?
And how many came out of that giant gate?
An almighty crash sounded in the near distance, out of sight but not far away. It sounded like a building collapsing, or two speeding vehicles colliding head-on. It was a chest-shuddering, painfully loud noise that caused every soldier to lose their focus for a moment as they peered around for a cause.
Dendoncker sidestepped until he was standing next to Tony. “The hell was that? Sounded like a goddamn plane coming down.”
“I think it was a building collapsing. How are you for ammo, kid?”
“I got a shitload, but there’re a shitload of targets too. I don’t know which will run out first.”
Tony checked his own supply and saw he was down to two magazines. Dendoncker had so many that the curved metal containers seemed to hang off every inch of his belt. Tony was glad to see he was prepared. “Where are the others?”
“Taking up the rear, over there. Demons are coming at us from all sides. I reckon they plan on surrounding us and spreading our fire.”
Tony looked back and saw men firing at the circle’s rear. “It would be the smart thing to do. It means we have no way out of this fight besides winning or dying. There’s no third option.”
Dendoncker nodded. “Whatever happens, happens. Can’t cheat death forever, right?”
“You’re right, this has to end. Let it be today.”
“You’re a good bloke, Colonel. I want to go out following a good man.”
Tony chuckled. “Then I have your final orders, soldier.”
“Yes, sir?”
“Go give the bastards hell.”
Dendoncker ran off to rejoin the circle. Tony did the same. It was too chaotic to stick together, so he focused only on what he could shoot.
The ground shook.
Another boom clattered the air, echoing between buildings.
Tony lost his footing, the grass becoming trampled and slick. He went down on one knee, his rifle strap yanking at the back of his neck as he lost a grip on his weapon. He quickly got a hold of it again and emptied his current magazine into a pair of burnt men joined at the hip.
Hell On Earth (Book 6): Rebirth Page 17