Hell On Earth (Book 6): Rebirth

by Wright, Iain Rob

  “One down,” said Maddy. “Good work. We can do this.”

  But for how long?

  Even without Crimolok guiding them, the demons were everywhere. If Tosco tried to get everyone onto the boats, they would probably be taken down as they ran. The only chance they had was to stand their ground until they were too exhausted to fight. Perhaps a miracle would come and save them.

  “How do you reckon Mass is getting on?” Maddy asked Tosco, trying to distract herself from the demons racing towards them.

  “I think he made it to the gate like he intended. Why else would Crimolok have turned and ran. He’s under threat.”

  “You think there’s a chance Mass might actually do something to help?”

  Tosco shrugged. “I have no idea. Everyone, brace!”

  A dozen demons hit the small squad of men and women. They held tight, pushing against one another and forming a solid wall. They pushed out their shields to absorb the impact and to avoid being toppled.

  “Everyone, swing and stab.”

  The squad lashed out with their knives or brought down their heavy rifles as best they could one-handed. The demons were pressed up against the shields, so it was easy to slash and bludgeon at their heads and necks. Several fell in the first assault while others tried to recover and attack. The second round of swinging and stabbing dropped several more, which led to the demons losing half their number. They were unable to get past the shields, unable to avoid the knives and clubs slipping from between the gaps and striking them unawares.

  The melee went on for ten minutes until the attacking demons were all dead.

  More would come soon.

  “Good work,” said Tosco, panting and dripping with sweat. “Everyone catch their br—” His radio hissed and Klein spoke to them.

  “Maddy, James, are you still alive? I was hoping to see you on my submarine by now. Please tell me zat you are to come any minute now, ja?”

  Tosco gave a grim smile. “I’m sorry, Commander, but I don’t see a way out for us. You get Alice away from here for me, okay?”

  “Ja, she will be safe with me. I am sorry for you both. I wished to share happier days with you. Maddy, can I do anything? Anything to get you out of there?”

  “You can’t help us, Klein, but thank you. Don’t stop being you, whatever happens.”

  “You have my vord. Goodbye, fräulein.”

  “Wait. Klein, there’s one last thing you can do. There’s a team of people headed north in a helicopter. Can you try to radio them? If they need help, give it to them. Whatever they ask.”

  The radio crackled. “I can try to hail zis helicopter, but without knowing its exact—”

  “I have everything you need,” said Tosco, and he quickly shared the details of the helicopter’s radio frequencies. “Give ’em a call and say hello from me.”

  “Consider it done, Commander.”

  “Thank you, Commander.”

  More demons rushed towards them. They threw themselves against the squad’s shields, pushing everyone back. This time, more than two dozen burnt men attacked. It was too many. Maddy’s shoulders cried out in pain.

  We can’t keep this up.

  20

  The helicopter spiralled in the sky, completely out of control. Crimolok’s attempt to swat it out of the sky missed, but his massive hand had glanced off the underside of the fuselage.

  The pilots cursed, veins popping out of their necks as they fought the controls. Everybody in the cabin grabbed a hold of whatever they could. Mass almost went flying out of the open doorway, only just managing to grab a handhold beside the door.

  The helicopter spun around twice before the pilots managed to correct it. Mass looked out of the open doorway, but he couldn’t catch sight of Crimolok. Where had the bastard gone? Was he right behind them, about to smash them to pieces?

  “Get us out of here,” Mass yelled at the pilots.

  “He’s on our tail,” said the pilot. “I can take us up, but our fuel is gone. Our tanks are ruptured and we were almost out anyway.”

  “What does that mean?” Smithy asked as he hugged the front bench of the cabin.

  “That I can take us up out of harm’s way for a few minutes, but then we’re going back down whether we like it or not.”

  Smithy looked at Angela. “Hey, vicar. You think we can power this thing on prayer?”

  “I don’t think you understand how prayer works.”

  Now that the helicopter was level, Steph dragged herself over to Mass, grabbed him, and looked at him with a pleading expression. “Damien?”

  Mass shook his head. “I’m sorry, he’s gone.”

  Steph turned away and Harry pulled her into an embrace as she broke out into a sob.

  The dead Damien – now the only Damien left – groaned. “Damn it, I liked that guy.”

  The helicopter rose up, Mass felt it in his stomach like getting in a lift.

  The pilot turned back to the cabin. “We’re out of reach for now but we only have a few— Hang on, there’s a call coming through.”

  Mass frowned. “A call? You mean someone is trying to contact us?”

  “I’ll open the line.” The pilot turned a switch and static hissed from the cockpit speakers.

  “Auklet One, do you read me?”

  The pilot pulled a wired handset up to his mouth. “Loud and clear, friend. Who am I talking to?”

  “Do I really need ze introduction? This is Commander Klein. Commander Tosco asked me to assist you in vatever vays I can.”

  Mass leant over the pilot’s shoulder. “It’s good to hear from you, Klein, but I think we’re beyond helping. I passed through the giant gate but nothing happened. The demons are coming out in their thousands – and Crimolok is here. In a few minutes we’re going to run out of fuel, and then that’s pretty much it for us.”

  “Is that you, Mass? You truly are unkillable. I am afraid to report that things are finished here in Portsmouth too. Those of us left are departing by boat to seek safety elsewhere. It pains me to leave these shores. They have become a home to me. If Crimolok is truly there, kindly flip him ze middle finger, ja?”

  Mass chuckled, although there were tears in his eyes after hearing that Portsmouth was truly gone. “I’ll give him more than the middle finger, Klein. I wish I could smack the bastard in the face and send him right back through the gate.”

  “Yeah,” said Smithy, “and then send a nuke in after him and blow Hell to pieces!”

  Mass patted his friend on the back and laughed – but then he fell silent as something formed in his mind. He stared at Smithy until Smithy became uncomfortable. “Um, what’s wrong, big man? You just shat yourself or something?”

  Mass turned back to the pilot holding the radio. “Klein? You still there?”

  “Ja!”

  “I know you’re really protective about those nukes of yours, but do you think you could spare one?”

  “Mass, what are you suggesting? The enemy have claimed this place and you vant to burn it to the ground? I cannot do such a thing in good conscience. Not even—”

  “No,” Mass interrupted, “I don’t want to scorch the Earth, I want to scorch Hell. The gate is right here. How accurate can you fire your missiles?”

  “With perfect accuracy, providing I have prefect targeting. Without precise coordinates, however, I cannot—”

  The pilot blurted out, “Commander! We have a laser targeting module on our helicopter. I can paint an X if you can hit it.”

  “I can, ja. I hoped never to send my missiles anywhere, but I will trust in you fine men and do as you ask. I hope it helps.”

  “It will,” said Mass. “Thanks, Klein.”

  “I’ll await your instructions.”

  Angela grunted. “Why didn’t anyone mention earlier that we had nuclear missiles?”

  “The guy who has them doesn’t like them being mentioned,” said Addy.

  Smithy moved up beside Mass and looked at him. “You know I was joking abo
ut the nukes into Hell thing, right?”

  “All you do is joke, Smithy, but sometimes you say smart things too. We’re going to send a nuke straight into Hell. If nothing else, it’ll stop the flow of demons coming out. How many would die in a nuclear blast?”

  Smithy shrugged. “Like a billion-nillion?”

  “At least. So let’s paint an X on that gate.”

  The pilots leant forward, pushing down on their control sticks.

  “Wait,” said Addy. “Ever heard of killing two birds with one stone?”

  Mass looked at her. “Huh?”

  “If we can lead Crimolok so he’s in front of the gate, we could hit him with the nuke and send him back to Hell, just like you said.”

  “Like we joked,” said Smithy. “We’re taking things very literally here, people. We can’t harm Crimolok. He’ll just shake it off, so why risk it?”

  Mass thought about it. “He can’t be harmed by our weapons, but he has been harmed. Rick hurt him. Maybe Crimolok can be hurt by the right kind of weapon. A nuke isn’t the same as a bullet or even a bomb. It’s like the power of the universe unleashed in a tiny package, right?”

  Smithy shook his head. “I was due to study astrophysics next year. This year was home economics.”

  “We’re kind of in a no-lose situation,” said Addy. “I say we try it.”

  Damien crossed his arms and nodded. “Yeah, let’s fuck things up.”

  Angela shook her head. “That kind of language will get you sent straight to Hell, young man.”

  “Been there, done that.”

  Mass took a deep breath. “After we do this, there might not be a Hell left.”

  “The engines are starting to struggle,” said one of the pilots. “We need to get down on the ground.”

  Mass nodded. “Okay, take us down in front of the gate. Once we’re back within reach, Crimolok will come for us. Make it look like we intend to fly right on through. Soon as he’s close enough, paint a target on the gate and get us out of there.”

  The pilot chewed his lip for a moment. “We’re not going to survive a nuclear blast. It’ll fry our circuits even if we don’t get obliterated by the blast.”

  Mass sighed. “We’re not doing this for us.”

  The pilot nodded; he understood. They all did. None of them were making it through this alive. That wasn’t what this was about.

  “Okay,” said the pilot, “descending.”

  Everyone held on to the roof straps while the helicopter plummeted. The cabin vibrated, not fully under control after the damage it had taken. The engines made unhealthy noises and several warning lights lit on the dashboard.

  Mass felt like puking again, but he held on, knowing there wasn’t time even for that. This was a nearly impossible mission, and he held onto that… nearly. The nearly was hope.

  Mass moved to the open doorway and looked out. Crimolok was a hundred metres away, watching them balefully. The giant had been unable to reach them at high altitude, but now that they had descended he came right for them, crushing droves of his own demons beneath his feet. He let out a soul-shattering roar and Mass felt his bladder let go for the second time. The warmth against his leg reminded him he was alive. He could still fight.

  “Okay, paint a target on the gate,” he yelled to the pilots.

  A second passed. “Target painted. Commander Klein, do you copy?”

  Another second. “Ja! Target acquired. Missile launched. May Heaven take you fine men.”

  Mass kept his eyes on Crimolok and wondered how long it would take for a nuclear missile to travel twenty miles. Seconds, he imagined. “Hold our position,” he shouted. “Hold it until I say go, and then get us the hell out of here.”

  Crimolok’s enraged sprint tore up the ground and uprooted trees. The roads cracked beneath his feet. It was the most terrifying thing Mass had ever seen, and only his hatred allowed him to face down the charging beast. Annihilation was seconds away – a clash between an ancient evil that thrived on spoiled flesh and mankind’s greatest weapon launched by a computer. It was just a question of which would reach the helicopter first.

  “Hold!”

  Crimolok bounded twenty metres in a single step.

  “Hold!”

  Twenty metres left, a single second.

  “Hold!”

  Crimolok swung a massive arm and released an ear-splitting roar.

  Mass roared back. “Move! Move! Move!”

  The helicopter tipped onto its side and fell. Mass’s feet left the ground and he was swinging from the handholds beside the doorway. Through the opening he saw Crimolok’s huge fist swipe the air. Then Mass saw the ground, a blanket of flattened demon flesh covering the road and fields. The helicopter’s searchlight strobed wildly against the countryside, making the whole thing feel like an acid trip. Everyone inside the cabin screamed, but Mass could do nothing to help them. This was the end, and as much as they were together, they would face it alone.

  There was an almighty flash and Mass closed his eyes, but it was like staring into the sun.

  The helicopter tumbled and spun.

  The pilots yelled at one another, fighting for control. The helicopter’s cockpit was a chaos of sounds, warnings and alarms.

  Mass didn’t know which way was up. His legs dangled in the air as he held onto the nylon roof straps with everything he had left. It felt like his arms were going to tear off. Any second, it would all end. They would hit the ground and explode, or the nuclear blast would eat them up.

  Mass’s ankles struck the side of the helicopter’s cabin wall and bounced. His body rotated and his legs entered a wind tunnel. He was dangling outside the helicopter. The wrist strap tightened around his arm, the only thing keeping him alive.

  Why wasn’t it over yet?

  Why weren’t they dead?

  Mass’s legs crashed back down. His shoulders were on fire. The light began to fade. He dared to open his eyes. What he saw was chaos. Smithy was unconscious sliding around beneath the seats. Harry was bleeding from his nose. Steph and Angela were clinging on in the back. The pilots fought with their controls. Even Damien seemed terrified.

  “Hold on,” one of the pilots shouted. “Hold on!”

  There was an almighty crash, followed by the sound of imploding steel.

  Mass was upside down, his knees pressed against his face. He heard moaning but couldn’t tell if it was his own. The helicopter’s interior had changed. It was smaller now and angled all wrong.

  Mass tried to move, but he was numb. His entire body had stiffened. He felt bruised. With effort, he managed to rock himself back and forth slowly until he tumbled over onto his side. He expected it to hurt, but it didn’t. The only thing he was feeling was a tingling in his limbs.

  Smithy was splayed on his back. The pair of benches were twisted and his legs were tangled up inside their metal supports. His eyes fluttered open and he moaned, “I think we crashed.”

  “We’re alive,” said Mass. “How are we alive?”

  “Perhaps we ain’t. This kind of feels like dying, don’t you think?”

  No, they were alive. The helicopter was on the ground. It was wrecked, but somehow, the pilots had got them down in one piece.

  More or less.

  “Addy?” Mass started dragging himself through the wreckage. “Addy, talk to me?”

  “I’m still here,” said Angela. “In case anybody was wondering.”

  “I’m alive too,” said Damien. “Well, not exactly alive.”

  “Addy? Addy, where are you? Damn it, talk to me.” Mass pulled himself past the twisted benches, noticing the blood that covered Smithy’s legs. He kept on moving towards the cockpit. There, he found Steph, her neck angled in a way that she could never have survived. He hadn’t known the woman well, but it sucked to see her dead. There was no sign of Harry, but both pilots were still sitting up front. One was slumped backwards, a huge shard of glass lodged in his Adam’s apple. The other was alive, but clearly in shock. He was trem
bling and mumbling to himself, and when he looked at Mass, his eyes were bright red like they’d been held over a flame. Mass feared the man was blind.

  Mass panicked. “Addy, where the hell are you?”

  “Mass, I’m here. I’m here.”

  Mass looked around. “Where?”

  “On the grass. I’m hurt, but I think I’m okay.”

  Mass’s heart fluttered. Adrenaline coursed through his body, but the relief of hearing Addy alive filled him with joy. He clambered through the wreckage, pulling himself along with numb hands and pushing with heavy legs. The opening in the side of the helicopter was now only half as big as it had been, the sides pinched inwards. There was barely enough space to crawl through, but Mass made it through. He found himself surrounded by a grey landscape devoid of colour. He heard demonic screeching from every direction.

  We’re in Hell. We must have fallen through the gate.

  No, Hell was worse than this.

  As he crawled away from the wreckage, Mass felt soft grass beneath his palms and realised that the grey landscape was merely night giving way to dawn. The starry sky had gone away, replaced by a featureless expanse that would soon welcome a morning sun.

  Addy lay in the grass ahead, rolled onto her side. She clutched her hand and gritted her teeth, but when she saw Mass she smiled. “I’m going to get a god complex if I keep surviving this shit,” she said. “I’ve got to be the toughest woman alive.”

  Mass smiled back. “No doubt.”

  “How are the others?”

  “Steph didn’t make it. Neither did one of the pilots.”

  Addy nodded to a spot nearby. There was a body lying there, every limb twisted. “Neither did Harry. Is Smithy okay?”

  “I’m fine, sweetheart.” Smithy appeared in the gap inside the helicopter and pulled himself through. His left leg was injured, and it dragged behind him uselessly. He was pale but alert. “I could really use a rest after all this,” he muttered. “Let’s just find a house with a copy of FIFA and sit things out for a while.”

  “Sounds good to me,” said Addy. “I get to be Real Madrid though.”