She put the phone back in her pocket and looked at Andras. “Did you do anything on my computer?”
Andras smiled. “Like what?”
“David just told me that the website has been deleted. All the information we posted is gone.”
Andras frowned. “Weird.”
“Yeah, it is. You were sat at my computer when I came out here. What did you do, Andras?”
“Nothing. I… Maybe I did something by accident.”
“No, you’re an IT specialist. You wouldn’t accidentally delete a website. You could only have done it on purpose.”
Andras folded his arms. “What are you accusing me of, Mina?”
She sighed, rubbed at her eyes with her thumbs. “Nothing. Sorry. I need to take a look at my laptop and just hope I can get everything back online. I’ll soon find out what happened. Andras, if you did something by accident it could cost people their lives.”
“Good.”
Mina had been about to walk away, but the comment stunned her. She turned to Andras in confusion. “Good? What do you mean, ‘good’?”
He grinned at her, his teeth mouldy, his breath foul. “I mean good that your pathetic attempts to get people fighting are finished before they even got started. You really think you can change anything with a silly little blog? You’re all doomed.”
The venom in Andras’s words was enough to make her stagger back. “Y-you’re helping the demons?”
“No, I’m not helping them, you stupid worm. I’m one of them.”
Mina opened her mouth to shout for help, but Andras’s hand went over her lips and stifled her. His other hand went over her nose, and he forced her down to the ground and climbed on top of her chest. She couldn’t breathe.
Andras glared at her as she struggled.
“There will be no resistance,” he hissed. “You are all going to die, and this world will be ours. Do you know what it’s like to spend an eternity in the fires of Hell? You will find out.”
“Mina? Are you out here?”
It was David. He was looking for her. Mina was behind the reception desk—out of sight—with Andras pressing down on top of her. She tried to scream out, to kick at something and make a noise, but she could barely move. She raked at Andras’s neck and squealed as one of her nails tore away.
“Mina?” David called out again. “Damn it, girl, I need you to help me get this website sorted. Where are you?”
Mina tried desperately to cry out.
The door swung closed again.
David had gone.
Andras laughed as her vision began to darken. It felt like her head would explode, her eyes bulged out of their sockets. Breathing was so instinctual and automatic, but right now she couldn’t catch a single mouthful of air. Every cell in her body panicked. Andras kept on pressing down, squeezing her nose and mouth shut. He bent over her and licked her face. “Sweet dreams, maggot.”
Mina hated that the last thing she would see was her murderer laughing at her terror, but that’s exactly what happened.
Part Three
“You must not fight too often with one enemy, or you will teach him all your art of war.”
—Napoleon Bonaparte
~Tony Cross~
8 miles north of the Euphrates, Syria
“We’re fucked,” said Tony as Aymun and the remaining fighters regrouped behind the vehicles.
Aymun agreed. “Yes, we die here.”
Tony looked around desperately. “Where’s Harris and that PKM? We need to get it firing again.”
Corporal Rose pointed over to a battered old van and shook his head. Private Harris was slumped up against the rear tyre with his chin resting against his chest. “He did’na make it, Staffie.”
Tony cursed the air. Harris’s wounds had caught up with him, and he had bled out from a torn gut. The PKM was nowhere in sight.
And the demons were coming.
Along with Corporal Rose, only two of the British soldiers still lived. Aymun’s men were all dead, but about ten of the villagers remained. Tony had witnessed the death of hundreds of brave men and women in less than forty-eight hours.
What was left of them returned fire, trying to take down the demons before they formed up again in groups. They had the advantage for now, picking off the enemy one by one as they came through the gate disorientated, but the advantage would not last forever. They were running out of ammunition, and trying to keep up with the flow of demons flooding through the gate was already beginning to outpace them. Now and then, a demon would make it a few feet before going down to a headshot.
“We can’t keep this up,” said Tony. “We have to retreat.”
Aymun nodded. “Perhaps that is wise, but I will not go.”
“Don’t be a fool and die here, Aymun. This isn’t a test. Allah doesn’t require you to die.”
“No,” he said. “I require it of myself. I am tired of fighting infidels and invaders. It is time I struck at my enemy in their home.”
“What do you mean?”
“I will die having looked upon our enemy truly, so that I may pass on the information to Allah. He needs soldiers in the next life, as well as this one. This is not his work.”
Tony tried to understand and thought that he might. “You’re going to go through the gate?”
“Yes. Will you cover me, my friend?”
“I…” Tony saw there was no point in arguing. “I’ll make sure you get there.”
Aymun smiled, seemingly at peace. “Continue the fight after I am gone.”
“Damn right I will.”
“Good to have met you, Tony.”
“You too, Aymun.”
Without another word, Aymun broke cover and sprinted towards the glowing gate. Tony gave the nod, and the remaining men laid down covering fire, riddling the gate’s entrance with what remained of their ammunition. Demons danced and spun as bullets ripped them apart, but one by one, their rifles ran dry, and the chorus of gunfire lessened. Dead demons continued piling up in front of the gate, but more and more continued coming through.
Aymun ran so fast, he kicked up dirt behind him. He’d thrown down his rifle now, but held a grenade above his head—pin removed, ready to be released. The villagers shouted something in Arabic—numuur numuur—while Tony’s last few men gritted their teeth and remained silent.
The last of their rifles ran dry.
The gunfire ceased.
Silence descended upon the desert just as Aymun made it to the gate. A demon came through and dropped right front of him, but before it had time to leap at Aymun, Aymun surprised it by leaping at it first. He tackled the demon backwards, their two bodies took flight and disappeared through the gate.
The gate shimmered. The glowing edges warped and bent while the sound of a cracking whip bounced across the desert.
Something was happening.
The next creature through the gate was on fire. It hit the dirt and spun around, clawed arms flailing. Then it slumped to the ground and went still, leaving the fire to consume its corpse.
Corporal Rose stood up and pointed with a trembling finger. “The gate. It’s closing.”
Tony saw it was true. The glowing edges of the gate had twisted and contorted, knotting together like a child’s tangled skipping rope. The translucent centre darkened. Smoke billowed into the air, and the light started to fade. The shimmering centre solidified into the dark, gnarled consistency of old wood, and then it disintegrated into ash and blew away in the wind.
The gate was gone, and so was the black stone.
Tony drifted out of cover and approached the patch of desert where the gate had been. All that remained was a large pile of ash.
“Martyr,” one villager shouted. “Martyr.”
Corporal Rose came up beside Tony and whistled. “Aymun did it. He closed the gate.”
“Yeah,” said Tony. “Not bad for an extremist.”
“He was brave.”
“He was devout,” said Tony. “Never thou
ght I’d ever think it, but we will need more men like him. More men will be needed to sacrifice themselves and close the gates. Aymun’s sacrifice has showed us how we can win this war.”
“We need to make it to the border,” said Corporal Rose. “We have to spread the word.”
Tony snapped out of his shocked daze and got to work. He straightened up and gave his corporal a look of urgency. “See if we can get any of the villager’s vehicles running. We don’t have time for a trek across the desert anymore. We leave in one hour.”
The villagers gathered around the pile of ash and began chanting in prayer. Then they all got down and bowed to Mecca. Tony considered joining them, changing his mind about everything he had once thought about a Lord Almighty. If these gates led to Hell, then somewhere there was a Heaven.
So why wasn’t God helping?
Tony, Corporal Rose, and the two remaining privates were ready to go within the hour. They had lost a lot of comrades in the last two days, but each of them knew they were lucky to be alive. That they had destroyed one of the gates would make the sacrifices of their brothers meaningful. The intel could give humanity a fighting chance.
They still needed to reach the Turkish border.
Tony had tried the cell phones of some of the surviving villagers, but getting through to anybody in authority had been a nightmare. Most of the calls failed, and others laced with interference. It left Tony with no choice but to hand deliver the information. Perhaps the military forces of the world already knew how to close the gates, but if they didn’t…
Time was of the essence, so he thanked the villagers who had given him a battered Toyota minivan, and then ordered his three remaining men inside it. The villagers all piled into a Nissan 4x4 like some bad joke—How many Arabs can you fit in a 4x4?—but then they were off, honking their horn in salute as they fled back to their homes. They were simple folk, who had faced an army of evil and lived. They would return to their wives and children as heroes, but it might not be long before they were called upon to fight again.
Tony slid into the driver’s seat and clutched into first gear. It was like a furnace inside the cramped vehicle, and the drive would not be comfortable, but the quiet boredom would be sublime while it lasted. There’d be nothing but scrubland for the next many hours, but after that, who knew? Tony dreaded losing more men over the days ahead.
It was the end of days.
As a soldier, Tony had been conditioned for war, but deep down, a soldier needed to have conviction in his heart to operate. A soldier needed hope—however minuscule—that the final battle could be won. He didn’t feel that yet, and as much as he knew that the information he had to share was vital, it might only buy the world some added time. Things had changed so much that mankind had already lost. Nothing would ever be the same again, and only darkness lay ahead.
Tony took off across the desert with the last of his men.
~Rick Bastion~
Devonshire, England
Rick woke up with a hangover, but it wasn’t caused by drink. He fingered his head at the line where his fringe ended and flinched when he felt a wide-open gash. Blood stained the top of his shirt, and he could feel it caked on his face.
That bastard. His own brother had clocked him with a beer bottle, like some thug at a nightclub. Keith had never been violent in his entire life, so what the hell had got into him?
Rick got up off the cold floor and saw that he was in his garage. The only light was from a frosted square of glass above the side door, but it was enough to see all the stacks of unsold albums with his face on. It was the worst place in the world to wake up with a headache, like being surrounded by a manifestation of his regrets. His own face seemed to mock him from the cover artwork, showing him how stupid his pink and silver-streaked hair had been.
A cross to bear. The past.
Days gone by looked good now, considering the current state of affairs. He had no idea how long he’d been out, but there was no doubt in his mind that demons still surrounded his home. The black haired corpse wanted to finish what he’d started with Sarah.
“Hey, let me out of here,” Rick demanded, banging on the side door of the garage. There was a flicker of a shadow across the frosted glass, but no one answered.
“Come on, man. Whoever is out there, stop acting the prick and unlock this door. This is my goddamn house.”
The jangle of keys preceded the rattle of the doorknob, and the door opened a tad. Someone slipped inside before Rick had chance to force his way out.
It was Daniel.
“You all right in here, pal?”
“No, I am not. I’m leaving.”
“Right you are, but listen to me first, okay?”
Rick folded his arms and let his pissed off expression do the speaking.
“You’re probably planning a little pay back against your brother for bottling you,” Daniel surmised. “Can’t say I blame you.”
“Goddamn right I-”
“But my advice is to cool your jets for now. We’re all under stress. Your brother is just trying to protect you—although he’s a bit of a bastard in the way he shows it.”
“Trying to control me, more like.”
Daniel chewed at the side of his cheek, then said. “Yeah, you’re probably right, but I’m on your side, okay? This is your house, and everyone is alive because of your hospitality. Other people don’t see it that way though. They only look at what’s in front of them. You’ve been out a few hours, but your big brother has been rallying the troops during that time. He’s got everybody onside, so don’t cut off your nose to spite your face. You kick off and your brother will lash out at you again. The others will likely have his back too. The only person who didn’t think you were insane for wanting to leave was Maddy, but she’s gone quiet.”
“I don’t give a shit,” said Rick. “If I want to leave, then that’s what I’m bloody well going to do.”
“Actually, I think you’re better off staying. The problem you will have now is keeping everyone else from leaving.”
Rick growled and pointed his finger, but he let his arm drop and tried to make sense of what he had heard. “Huh?”
“Your brother told me to let you out. He wants to leave before it gets dark.”
“What? How long have I been out? What’s happened? He was dead set against leaving.”
“You’ve been out less than three hours, Rick, but a lot has changed. Come on, I’ll show you.”
Daniel opened the garage door and let Rick step through. It was still light outside, but the chill in the air told him it was getting late. “Where is he, Daniel? Where’s Keith?”
“Still inside, but wait…”
Rick marched across the gravel driveway towards the house, hands clenched in anticipation of what he would do to his brother. Instinctively, he glanced back over his shoulder at the gate.
But the gate was clear. The road deserted.
Rick stopped so quickly that he tripped and stumbled. By the time he had recovered, Daniel had caught up to him. “They left about an hour ago,” he explained. “Just dispersed suddenly.”
“What? Why?”
“Diane has been checking the web. According to some newspaper in Slough, the demons have assembled into three main armies. Your brother thinks the demons were recalled to go join their buddies.”
“So we’re safe?”
“Your brother thinks so.”
“But you don’t?”
Daniel shrugged. “Maybe, but if we are, then why be in such a hurry to leave? Why not wait a while until we know for sure that all is well?”
Rick nodded. “You’re right. It could be a trap.”
“I know you wanted to leave, Rick, but that was when you knew the demons were crowded around your front gate. Now, we don’t have any idea where they’re lurking.”
Rick thought about it. “We should all stay put. There could even be help on the way.”
“And there’s your problem. Your brother has eve
rybody getting ready to make for the south coast. The nearest demon army is north, so he thinks it will be plain sailing all the way down. Ironic, actually, that he’s pretty much following the plan you laid out.”
Rick looked once again at the gate. Everything Maddy had said was true; they couldn’t stay trapped inside forever, but he had a bad feeling about leaving now. The demons were smart, not mindless monsters. The black haired corpse wanted them all dead. It was personal. Would he just up and leave so suddenly?
Rick decided. “I’m staying here, Daniel, and you’re welcome to join me.”
“What about your brother?”
“He can leave if he wants. I couldn’t care less, to tell you the truth. He’s always been a shit, but to do this…” He pointed at the wide gash on his forehead. “Fuck him.”
“The others will leave with him.”
“So?”
Daniel sighed. “Come on, Rick. You really want a young girl like Diane out there in danger? Maddy and Steve are both good people. They’re just a bit lost and following the loudest voice in the room—your brother’s.”
“What could I do, even if I wanted to? Maddy wants to go home.”
“Yeah, she does, but I think she’d rather do it later, and with friends.”
“I’m not her friend.”
“Rick, all of us are friends now, whether we like it or not. We have mutual enemies, and all we have is each other. You let your brother leave with the others, and you’ll be regretting it this time tomorrow. The television has already stopped, and the phones are working less and less. How long before the lights and water die? You want to be alone when that happens? We need to stick together and stay alive. Your brother has the first part down, but I worry he’s going to fall on his ass regarding the second.”
Rick said nothing else because he was still thinking things through. He went inside the house and found everyone huddled inside the kitchen. They were packing up supplies into a bunch of holdalls that belonged to him.
Hell on Earth Trilogy: The Complete Apocalyptic Saga Page 22
