When the last of the outsiders were no longer in sight, Deng raced down the stairwell to the bank’s lobby where he had hidden his bicycle. Walking it out onto the sidewalk, he checked one final time to make sure the outsiders had not backtracked. Mounting the bicycle, he followed their path along Zhongxing Street and turned right onto Xuefu Road, which paralleled Zhengyi Road. Deng pedaled as fast as he could, hoping to put distance between him and the outsiders and to warn Qiang in plenty of time to prepare for them.
Chapter Five
The team stopped ten miles south of Harbin where Zhengyi Road came to an end. As the others milled around, stretching or wandering to a secluded area to relieve themselves, Jason and Father Belsario glared disapprovingly at Ustagov. The doctor held the map spread out on top of a mailbox as he studied it.
“Just admit we’re lost,” said Jason after several minutes.
“I never said we weren’t. We’re not that far off course.” Ustagov tapped his finger on the map and waved over Jason and Father Belsario.
“Here’s the problem. Back in Harbin, we should have taken Xuefu Road, which was two streets over. That would have led us to the G1, which will take us directly to Shenyang. If we follow the road we’re on for three miles, it’ll take us to the G1.”
“Are you sure?” Father Belsario had a tone of skepticism in his voice. “Back in Harbin, you told us this was the right road.”
“I know how to read a map,” snapped Ustagov. “I’m not used to reading one from a moving horse.”
“Fair enough,” said Jason, wanting to end any arguments. “No harm done.”
“Thank you.” The doctor nodded. “We can reach the G1 by nightfall.”
“It’s two hours until sunset. I’d rather find a secure place for the night.”
* * *
Jason selected a spot only a few blocks away among the remnants of an old factory that stood three stories tall. A portion of one wall and two of the three smokestacks towered into the sky; the middle stack had collapsed. Segments of the cement foundation outlined the structure’s original location. It offered enough open space to stable the horses and be easily defendable while the wall protected them from the cold. By the time night fell, the camp had been set up, and the team warmed themselves in front of the open flames.
Tonight’s meal consisted of another round of Russian MREs. As the others finished eating, Father Belsario crouched down to chat with Jason. “Matthew, Luther, and I will take watch again tonight.”
“Thanks. After dinner, I’m going to have my people join you.”
“There’s no need for that. We’ll wake you if something happens.”
“I don’t want my people becoming complacent by not standing watch. Besides, we should beef up the guard a bit.” Jason lowered his voice. “I sense something unusual out there.”
“Demon Spawn?”
“Nothing we’ve encountered before, but I’d rather err on the side of caution than have the whole thing end here.”
“I agree.”
“Do you know when the rest of your people will rejoin us?”
“I don’t. It’s been three weeks since Gabriel died, and almost a week since we lost Jonah and Sasha. I assumed they’d be back by now. This is all new to me.”
“I understand.” Jason was not entirely sure he did, though. “I’ll have my people man the watch after dinner.”
Father Belsario stood and wandered off to set up the perimeter guard.
“I’m not worried,” said Ian. “Between your ability to detect those things and the thick walls of this factory, we’ll be safe.”
Ustagov chuckled.
“What’s so funny, mate?”
“This isn’t a factory,” the doctor replied. “It’s the remains of the crematorium for Unit 731.”
“What’s that?” asked Antoine.
“When the Japanese occupied northern China during World War II, they set up a secret biological warfare research facility outside of Harbin.” Ustagov pointed to the wall behind him. “The main facility stood a few hundred yards in that direction. Today it’s an elementary school.”
“Are you kidding?” asked Vicky.
Ustagov shook his head. “The Japanese developed plague, smallpox, and cholera and tested their effectiveness on local villages. They would infect people with diseases and dissect them alive to document how the pathogens affected the body. Some of the experiments the Japanese conducted here rivaled what the Nazis were doing in Germany. Most of the victims were Chinese, but a lot were Korean, Russian, and even Allied POWs. Two hundred and fifty thousand people were murdered. Most of the bodies were disposed of right here.”
“How do you know all this?” asked Sook-kyoung.
“I took a course on biological warfare at university,” answered Ustagov. “We spent a week on Unit 731. Once you know what went on here, you can never forget it. It’s sad, we’ve been so distracted by the chaos the Demon Spawn have caused we sometimes forget that man can be just as brutal to each other.”
Haneef said to Jason, “That would explain the bad vibes you’ve been feeling.”
Jason hoped not. If he had the ability to sense the souls of those who met a violent end, then every person who had died because of the Demon Spawn would weigh down on him, and he did not think he could handle that.
“That’s enough cheery talk for tonight.” Jason stood and tossed his empty MRE pouch into the fire. “Gaston, Ian, Vicky. I want you to stand watch with the Purgatoriati until eleven. Antoine, Sook-kyoung, and Jeanette will relieve you at 0300. Slava, Haneef, and I will take over from then until morning. Get a good night sleep, everyone. I want to be on the road right after sunrise.”
As the others packed up and prepared to go about their business, Jason stepped away from the campfire and crossed the foundation of the former crematorium, wanting to clear his mind of what Ustagov had told them. Lilith and Lucifer trotted along beside him. He had walked only a few hundred feet when he heard Jeanette call after him.
“Jason, wait.”
He stopped. “What’s up?”
“Ever since we left the train you’ve been pushing the group.”
“So?”
“Why are you so anxious to keep moving? We have a long trip ahead of us. If you keep driving us at this rate, we’ll burn out before we finish what we’ve set out to do.”
“It’s a risk I have to take,” Jason answered. “If the doctor and I are right and the Demon Spawn are protecting the portals, it makes sense to close them as quickly as possible before they build up their defenses to the point we can’t get past them. I know the pace I’m asking us to maintain is tough, but it’s better than having to fight against heavily-fortified portals.”
“Are you sure that’s the only reason?”
“What are you talking about?”
Jeanette’s tone became icy. “You’re in a hurry to get back to Sasha.”
The statement caught Jason off guard. “Why do you say that?”
“You asked Father Belsario about her.”
“I asked about all the Purgatoriati. Not having them here puts a strain on our ability to fight the demons. And it doesn’t matter how fast we travel. When Sasha and the others return, they’ll track us down like they did outside of Minsk. I’m in a hurry so we can finish this as soon as possible. Now if you’ll excuse me.”
Jason walked away, but Jeanette circled around and cut him off. “I’m afraid I’m losing you to Sasha.”
“Why would you think that?”
“Why did you want her fighting beside you to deploy the device at Lake Baikal?”
“Because she’s one of the best fighters I’ve ever known—”
“You don’t think I’m tough?”
“And,” continued Jason, “Sasha knew how to use the minigun. Besides, if something happened to her, she’d come back from the dead. You wouldn’t.”
“If I did come back from Purgatory, would you react to me the same way you did when she joined us outside o
f Minsk.”
“What do you expect? I was thrilled to see her again. I thought I’d lost her forever.”
“That’s what I mean.”
“This is ridiculous.” Jason tried to go around Jeanette. She stepped in front of him again.
“Admit you still love Sasha.”
“I’ve never denied it. She’s my best friend.”
“But you wish you were more than friends.”
Jason had become irritated by this conversation. “Yes, when I first met Sasha, I fell in love with her and wanted us to be together. That never happened. She kept on ignoring me. Then I met and fell in love with you.”
“Do you mean that?”
“Of course.”
Jeanette clasped his hands and moved closer. “Then let’s sleep together.”
“When?”
“What’s wrong with right now?
The conversation, like Jason’s frustration, was getting out of hand. He needed to take control of the situation. “Jeanette, I love you and—”
She released his hands and took a step back. “I’m not convinced you do.”
Jason had no idea how to respond.
Jeanette sighed and lowered her head. “I came on this expedition partly because I believed in the cause and partly because I thought you cared about me as much as I do about you. Obviously, I was wrong. I can live with it. But I can’t help feeling that you’re not completely honest with—”
Jason winced. His sixth sense activated, although not because it had detected Demon Spawn. The sensation hit him unexpectedly. He was familiar with the vibe and did not feel threatened by it.
Father Belsario rushed up. “Something’s approaching from the west.”
“I know,” said Jason reassuringly. “It’s nothing to be concerned about.”
Three large shadows approached, their forms creating vague outlines in the dark. As they moved closer, it became apparent their cloaks generated the shadows. Each figure rode a horse. Two empty horses brought up the rear, their bridles linked to the saddles in front of them by rope. Light from the campfire illuminated the emblems emblazoned into their breastplates, a circle surrounding a raised R in the upper left quadrant and a raised A in the lower right, with a brass crucifix centered between the letters. Jason felt a twinge of happiness and relief when he spotted the tints of auburn hair.
Sasha stopped her horse in front of Jason and smiled. “Are we interrupting anything?”
Chapter Six
Jason closed the distance with Sasha as she dismounted. He hugged her, even though he knew the gesture would piss off Jeanette. She spun around with a huff and stormed off.
Sasha broke the hug and watched Jeanette leave. “Is everything okay?”
“Nothing you need to be concerned about.”
Father Belsario greeted Gabriel and Jonah as they slid out of their saddles, blessing each with the sign of the cross, and then did the same to Sasha. “We’re glad you’re back. Jason and I were worried you wouldn’t be joining us.”
Gabriel snorted. “I wish.”
Jonah nodded.
Sasha rolled her eyes. “It was made quite clear to us that we still have plenty of work to do down here before our time in Purgatory can be shortened.”
“Were the horses sent with you?” asked Jason.
Jonah shook his head. “We returned near an abandoned horse farm. These guys were wandering the fields eating grass. We found some saddles and bridles, geared them up, and brought them with us. It beats walking everywhere.”
“Plus, they can help us carry supplies,” added Gabriel.
“Good thinking,” said Father Belsario.
“Yes.” Jason suddenly became excited. “Do you know where to find the portal?”
Gabriel and Jonah shook their heads. Sasha frowned. “We materialized a few miles west of here and sensed the rest of the group in this direction.”
“I was afraid of that.” Father Belsario shrugged. “It’s part of Heaven’s no interference on Earth policy.”
“Somebody should tell Hell they need to adopt the same standards,” said Jonah.
Jason headed back to the campfire and motioned for the others to follow.
“We have to stand watch,” said Father Belsario. “Do you still have that unusual sensation you picked up on earlier?”
Jason shook his head.
“Then you probably felt their presence. I don’t think there’s any need for your people to stand watch with us.”
“I still want them to,” said Jason.
“Fair enough.”
As the Purgatoriati moved off to take up their positions, Jason reached out for Sasha. “At least say hello to everyone. They’ll be glad you’re back.”
Sasha hesitated. Father Belsario flashed her a disapproving glare. “I can’t right now.”
“Okay.” Jason made no attempt to hide his disappointment.
Father Belsario headed back to his position. Jonah and Gabriel joined him. Sasha followed, paused for a moment to let the others get ahead of her, and dashed over to Jason. She hugged him and gently kissed his cheek. “We’ll talk later.”
Jason stayed until Sasha had disappeared into the night before heading back to the others.
* * *
“Three more just joined the group.” Deng peered through his binoculars.
“I don’t like this,” added Min, Qiang’s deputy.
Deng lowered the binoculars. “You don’t think these are the travelers everyone is talking about, do you?”
Qiang said nothing. Deng had arrived at the forward recon post this afternoon and reported the outsider’s presence. Qiang and Min accompanied him to track them down. They had traveled through Pinfang because the town connected with Zhengyi Road. Qiang hoped to circle around behind the outsiders and follow them. He and his men would have walked right into their camp if the latter had not built such a large fire. Retreating far enough away so their horses could not be heard, they tied up the animals and backtracked, finding a spot where no one would discover them.
Qiang studied the outsiders through a second set of binoculars, analyzing their behavior. They did not appear threatening. However, since the End of Days he had learned the hard way that looks could be deceiving. He refused to believe the stories of a group of wanderers traveling the globe slaughtering demons and denying Hell access to this world; just as he refused to accept the stories about a large portion of the United States having survived and getting ready to fight back. These were fantasies created to bolster the people’s spirits in dark times. Despite the coincidence of these outsiders showing up shortly after the rumors began circulating, Qiang attributed no significance to their presence. He hoped they were merely refugees escaping from some unspeakable horror to the west, and not fanatics coming here to seek salvation. He had enough to do dealing with the Sataners.
“How do you want to handle this?” asked Min.
“For now, we wait and watch.” Qiang lowered his binoculars. “With luck, they’re just passing through.”
“What if they’re not?”
“In that case, if whatever they intend to do is counter to our plans, we’ll have to eliminate them.”
Chapter Seven
The team set out shortly after sunrise, continuing south along the G1. Except for Father Belsario, who rode beside Jason, the rest of the Purgatoriati gathered in a small cluster at the center of the group, chatting with their comrades who had arrived last night. Figuring he would never get a better opportunity, Ustagov dropped away from the lead and slowed his pace until the Purgatoriati caught up with him. He maneuvered his horse beside them.
“Good morning.”
“Morning,” Sasha replied. The others stared at the doctor warily.
“Can we chat?”
Matthew creased his eyebrows. “You realize we’re not much into conversation?”
“I know you keep to yourselves. It’s your thing. I get that. I’m dying to know about the Purgatoriati in general and each of yo
u in particular.”
“The doctor wasn’t part of the group when we first joined them,” explained Sasha. “You want to know our backstories, am I right?”
“Exactly,” Ustagov blurted out.
“Why are you so interested?” Matthew asked.
“Call it scientific curiosity.”
“There’s nothing scientific about it,” said Luther. “Our being here is a matter of faith.
“Several thousand years ago, before recorded history, God and Satan agreed not to interfere on Earth and to allow humans to use free will to choose between good or evil. Even though Satan had nothing to do with the opening of the portals, he’s exploiting the situation to take over the Earth. God decided to raise a legion to fight the demons, but no one in Heaven wanted to leave Paradise. Father Belsario could only find volunteers in Purgatory. By fighting the Demon Spawn, we each get five hundred years taken off our banishment. That’s why we have the R and A on our chest plates. They stand for Repentance and Atonement. Father Belsario only chose those who were truly repentant of their sins.”
“What sins did you commit?” Ustagov immediately regretted his question. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked. It’s probably too personal.”
“It is,” said Jonah, his boyish features becoming solemn. “Part of our atonement is admitting what we have done. I was a young man when Jerusalem fell during the Crusades. Terrified of being tortured and executed, I renounced my faith and denounced my god to stay alive.”
“God punished you for being afraid?” Ustagov asked.
“My god punished me for my betrayal. Faith in my true religion would have earned me an eternal afterlife. I forfeited that for a few extra years on Earth.”
Matthew spoke next, his expression stoic under his red beard. “I was a Knights Templar in the Holy Land. Although I thought I had been devoting my life to fulfilling God’s will, only later did I realize I had sinned by killing innocents in His name. I left the order and spent what little remained of my life in the Holy Land preaching the true word of Jesus. I died two years later of typhus. The renunciation of my previous life kept me out of Hell. However, by the time of my death I had not performed enough good deeds to atone for the sins I had committed. That’s why I’m here.”
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