China

by Scott M. Baker

  The others turned their attention toward it. Father Belsario mumbled a silent prayer. Jason could only say, “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  What approached from the Hell side of the portal was nothing short of a living nightmare. Human in shape, it stood forty feet tall, twice the size of the Golem. Fin-shaped scales protruded vertically in a line along both arms from the elbow to the wrist and divided along the top of its hands, ending at the fingertips in jagged talons. A twenty-foot long tail swirled behind the demon, the tip bulbous and covered in spike-shaped scales. Its head was elongated, ending in a jaw filled with rows of fangs. Blood-red eyes set deep back in its skull glowed from the shadow of its sockets. Two horns protruded from where the ears should be; they ran half-way down the side of its head before curling up and back, the tips ending near the back of its skull. It was dark crimson in color.

  “Is that who I think it is?” Jason asked.

  “If it is, we’re screwed.” Ustagov lowered his binoculars.

  The creature, still more than half a mile from the portal, moved at an excruciatingly slow pace. One leg would lumber forward, its hoof smashing into the ground. Several seconds later, the other massive leg would move. With each step, Demon Spawn would surge to the sides, creating a path for the creature. At this rate, it would be a good fifteen to twenty minutes before it reached the opening.

  Jason lowered his binoculars and rolled onto his side to talk to the others. “If we move now, we should have enough time to close the portal before it gets here.”

  Father Belsario raised an eyebrow. “We need to change the plans to include rescuing our people.”

  “We don’t have time,” said Jason. “They’ll have to fend for themselves until we deploy the device.”

  Sasha placed her hand on Jason’s wrist. “Let me take Lucifer and Lilith and go rescue them.”

  “You have the device.”

  “I can deploy it,” said Father Belsario. “What Sasha says makes sense. It at least gives them a fighting chance and doesn’t hurt our odds of success.”

  Jason thought for a moment. “Okay. Free Jeanette and the others and then take on the Sataners and cover our back.”

  Sasha nodded.

  Jason crawled down the opposite slope. “We launch our attack in two minutes.”

  Chapter Forty-One

  “I can’t believe it.” Mei could barely contain her excitement. “The Arrival has finally come.”

  Bai flashed her a look of disdain.

  Mei heard a commotion nearby. At first, she thought her followers were expressing similar enthusiasm. Then she heard the pounding of hooves followed by the chirping of ravagers. She lifted herself off the ground as a cavalry of horsemen topped the crest of the hill to their right and descended the slope. Mei expected the marauders to raid the camp. Instead, the horsemen charged directly into the Demon Spawn.

  “The Unbelievers are here,” said Mei. “What should we do?”

  “Stop them, you little fool,” Bai answered.

  Mei bowed her head in shame for appearing weak in front of Bai. Humiliation morphed into anger at those who dared to intrude on this sacred event. Mei shouted, “Kill the intruders!”

  Qiang led the charge. Like the other Xiongnu, he had his bow loaded and ready to fire. The unanticipated presence of the Sataners posed a threat to his left flank; he would have to deal with that. If luck stayed with him, he might be able to use the Sataners to his advantage. For the moment, he concentrated on his target—the horde of demons directly in front of him.

  The flesh eaters heard the stampeding horses and shifted in their direction. Qiang ignored them. They posed little threat to his horsemen. He focused on those from the Underworld since they were the biggest danger. As anticipated, upon the approach of the humans, the ravagers and soul vampires rushed toward the horsemen.

  The Xiongnu raised their bows and aimed.

  Jeanette felt a sense of anticipation flow through her when the horsemen crested the hill. She had no clue who they were, or whether they were friend or foe. They distracted the Sataners, which gave her and the others a fighting chance, no matter how slim it may be.

  She nodded to Antoine. He had already swung into action, slipping off the ropes from around his wrist. The closest guard stood five feet behind him, his weapon clutched in his right hand and not ready to be fired, his attention drawn to the commotion on the nearby hillock. Jumping to his feet and spinning around, Antoine lunged at and collided with the much smaller man, throwing him back onto the ground and knocking the wind out of him. Before the guard could catch his breath, Antoine fell on him, pinning the automatic rifle to the ground with his right knee while pummeling the Sataner with his fists.

  The second guard raised his Type 63 and aimed at Antoine’s back. Jeanette jumped to her feet. Because her hands were still bound in front of her, she could not move easily and stumbled. Spotting the movement in his peripheral vision, the guard stepped to the side, raised his weapon level with his head, and slammed the stock into Jeanette’s face. As she toppled over, the guard raised his weapon, aimed at Antoine’s back, and squeezed the—

  A dark blur came out of nowhere and rammed into the guard, throwing him three feet into the air. He hit the ground hard. Before he could react, Lilith lunged at him again, pinning him with her body. He flung his arms, trying to punch the werehound, stopping when she morphed into her demonic form. The guard’s screams of terror were cut short when Lilith plunged the stinger of her scorpion-like tail into his chest and pumped him with paralyzing fluid.

  Jeanette jumped when she felt something brush up against her. She lifted her head as Lucifer licked her face. If they were here, Jason must be nearby.

  A moment later, Sasha rode up on her horse. She slid out of the saddle, rushed over to Jeanette, and used her saber to cut through the bonds.

  “I never thought I’d say this,” Jeanette said, “I’m glad to see you.”

  Sasha chuckled.

  The knot fell apart. As Jeanette rubbed her wrists, Sasha rushed over to the guard Lilith had immobilized. Pausing long enough to scratch the werehound behind her scaly ears, she grabbed the guard’s automatic rifle and shoulder bag of magazines. Antoine had taken the other guard’s weapon and untied Ian and Vicky.

  “What do we do now?” asked the Moroccan.

  “What we do best.” Sasha smiled. “Protect Jason’s ass while he closes the portal.”

  Qiang watched the ravagers and soul vampires as they closed the distance with the Xiongnu. When within range, his horsemen released a barrage of more than sixty arrows into the approaching creatures. Most hit their target, taking out or incapacitating five ravagers and six soul vampires. Eight were left unscathed. The remaining demons made their way through the horde and ripped eight of Qiang’s people out of their saddles, the men’s screams of terror and pain drowned out by the charging horses. The five soul vampires stayed behind, taking the opportunity to drain the souls from their victims. The three ravagers spun around and pursued the horsemen.

  The Xiongnu had already reloaded their bows and released another barrage at the flesh eaters. Close to fifty went down as the arrows punctured their skulls, sending blue eddies of energy drifting skyward. A few seconds later, the Xiongnu reached the flesh eaters. The horses were traveling so fast they plowed their way through the demons, pushing them aside or trampling them underfoot. Enough of the soulless wanderers swarmed them that three Xiongnu were torn from their saddles, dragged to the ground, and devoured. A ravager caught up with the last horsemen in line and leaped, taking down both the animal and its rider.

  Once Qiang had reached the center of the horde, he steered his horsemen left. They burst through the southern fringes and headed for the Sataners, with the surviving ravagers in pursuit.

  “It worked.” Father Belsario watched from the crest of the hillock as the Xiongnu distracted the Demon Spawn’s attention away from the portal.

  “I figured it would. Let’s hope the Golem are as accommoda
ting.” Jason placed a hand on Ustagov’s shoulder. “You know what to do?”

  The doctor tapped the saddle bag containing the anti-matter device and nodded. “Good luck.”

  “Thanks.” Jason reached out and clasped the doctor’s hand. “You’ll need it as much as we do.”

  Jason and Father Belsario headed down to where the others waited with the horses, leaving Ustagov and Hong monitoring events from the summit. They mounted their horses. Jason maneuvered his over to the cleric. “The same goes for you. Good luck.”

  “God sent me here to help you fight the Demon Spawn. Let’s hope he’s got our backs on this one.”

  Jason spurred on his horse, and the others fell in line behind him. The Demon Hunters rounded the northern tip of the hill and charged the Golem guarding the portal.

  Mei directed her people to fire on the Unbelievers when a young woman beside her asked, “What about those from the Underworld?”

  “Don’t worry about hitting them. They don’t matter.”

  “I don’t mean that.” The young woman pointed in front of her. “They’re heading toward us.”

  Mei directed her attention to the horde. The Unbelievers had charged into them before changing direction toward the camp, leading the creatures directly to them. “We have to stop the Xiongnu. Fire when you’re ready.”

  A gunshot rang out. A moment later, Mei heard the sickening thud of a bullet striking flesh. The young woman’s skull exploded, splattering Mei with bone fragments and chunks of gore. A teenage boy to her left cried out as a bullet punctured his spine. He was dead before he hit the ground. A third shot whizzed past, missing Mei’s head by inches. The prisoners had overcome the guards, stolen their weapons, and were using them on her people. Two dogs and a figure dressed in a red cloak had joined them. A flash of gunfire came from one of the stolen weapons and a middle-aged woman beside Mei took a bullet to the heart.

  “The prisoners have broken loose.” Mei shouted to be heard over the noise. “Half of you defend our rear.”

  Bai stepped forward and clutched Mei’s upper arm with such force it sent a bolt of pain down her arm. “You worry about the Unbelievers. I’ll take care of this nuisance.”

  Bai made her way toward the prisoners, with the decimators on either flank. Mei focused her attention back on the charging horses. The soul vampires had finished feeding off their victims and were chasing after the Unbelievers on a path that would take them right through her own people.

  Sasha and Antoine lay prone, their cheeks resting on the stock of the Type 63s as they centered the crosshairs on members of the Sataners. The first two rounds had taken down their targets with a single shot. After that, Mei’s people got wise and sought cover, making it more difficult for Sasha and Antoine to register a kill. As long as Mei’s people avoided getting shot, they posed no threat to the Xiongnu.

  Lilith crouched behind Sasha. She growled, a deep guttural sound that signified danger.

  “What’s up, girl?”

  “We have company.” Jeanette pointed to their left. Bai approached, her gait slow and menacing, her gaze focused on the Demon Hunters. The decimators kept pace a few feet to her rear.

  “What do you want me to do?” Antoine asked.

  Sasha thought for a moment. “Shift fire to the decimators. And make every shot count.”

  Jason led the charge toward the portal. Haneef stayed to his right and Sook-kyoung to his left. The two closest Golem spotted them and shifted their stance, their massive bodies positioned to block the humans. As the Demon Hunters Gaters drew near, each Golem raised its right arm across its chest. At the last second, the horses veered left. The two creatures swung, missing their targets by more than ten feet.

  The three stopped fifty feet from the portal, maneuvered their horses sideways, and raised their AK-47s. Jason and Haneef aimed at the nearest Golem’s head while Sook-kyoung concentrated on where its heart should be, and emptied their magazines into the Golem. It bellowed in defiance as sixty rounds pulverized its face and head and another thirty shredded its heart. As each round found its mark, Jason detected the aura of a trapped soul expressing relief from its hellish confines. When all three magazines had been used, the Golem staggered, two-thirds of its head blasted away and blood oozing from the gaping hole in its chest. It dropped to its knees and fell forward, crashing into the ground with a loud thud.

  As Jason and the others reloaded, the second Golem surged toward them.

  The Xiongnu closed the distance with the Sataners. Qiang’s people leaned forward against their horses’ necks to diminish their target profile. Not that they needed to. The Sataners’ aim was panicked and ineffective. Only nine of his people went down, most of those because the riders’ horses were hit.

  When within range, the Xiongnu sat back up, raised the bows, and released a barrage of arrows. Half found their targets, killing or wounding twenty-one Sataners. The gunfire tapered off to a few stray rounds. The Xiongnu loosed a second barrage, taking down eighteen more. The gunfire ceased entirely. A few seconds later, the Xiongnu reached the Sataners and broke through their line. Horses trampled humans underfoot or pushed them out of the way. What little resistance remained shattered, and the surviving Sataners threw aside their weapons and ran for the safety of their camp.

  They had covered only a few yards when the ravagers and soul vampires arrived. In the confusion of battle, and with the Seamstress preoccupied and unable to issue orders, the demons were unable to distinguish ally from enemy. They sensed the fear of the Sataners and were driven into a frenzy by the adrenalin rush. Food fleeing on foot made for easier prey than that mounted on horses.

  The ravagers and soul vampires switched targets and descended on the Sataners.

  The Xiongnu split into two groups. Qiang led half the horsemen and circled back around, charging the retreating Sataners and Demon Spawn. Min led the rest against the Seamstress.

  The bolt on Sasha’s Type 63 stuck open, signifying her weapon was out of ammunition. She had emptied two entire magazines into the approaching decimators without effect. Reaching into the ammunition bag, she rummaged around for full magazines, finding one of the last two. Sasha popped out the empty and slammed in the new one.

  “I’m almost out,” she yelled. “I’ve got only one magazine left after this.”

  Antoine’s Type 63 expended its ammunition. He reached into his bag and removed the remaining full magazine. “This is my last.”

  Ian grunted. “That’s not good, mate.”

  How pitiful these humans are, thought Bai. As if their mortal weapons could affect the likes of me. Their deaths will be painful and merciless, a lesson to anyone who attempts to stop the Dark Lord’s will.

  Bai prepared to unleash the decimators when screams emanated from behind her. The Xiongnu horsemen broke through the Sataners’ lines, scattering Mei’s people. Typical of humans: strong in faith, lacking in courage. The fact that ravagers and soul vampires ripped through them caused her little distress. If these humans served as food for her minions, then at least they were of some use. She was more concerned with the twenty horsemen bearing down on her.

  Snapping her fingers to get the decimators’ attention, Bai pointed to the approaching horsemen.

  “Tear them apart.”

  Jason finished reloading his AK-47 when he saw the Golem only a few yards away.

  “Watch out.”

  Haneef and Sook-kyoung had already retreated. The Golem swung, missing by scant feet. It lumbered toward the humans, determined to rid itself of them. The three fell back fifty feet, aimed their weapons at its head and heart, and fired. The Golem raised its arms in front of its face and chest, allowing the bullets to thud harmlessly into its meaty forearms.

  Before the Golem could respond, the Purgatoriati rode up behind it. Gabriel and Matthew dismounted before their horses came to a complete stop, unsheathing their broadswords as they did. Gabriel slashed his blade across the demon’s left Achilles’ tendon. Matthew plunged his upwards
through the Golem’s back, the tip puncturing several of its hearts. The Golem spun to its left, hoping to swat away its attackers. When it applied pressure to its left leg, the demon’s ankle gave out and it toppled over. Father Belsario rushed forward and drove his broadsword through its left temple and twisted the hilt in a circular motion, scrambling the demon’s brains. The Golem went limp.

  Three more Golem left their positions and lumbered toward the attackers. The fourth shifted its position to stand directly in front of the portal.

  On the other side, Satan had approached to within five hundred feet of the portal.

  Ustagov and the five Xiongnu watched from the top of the hill as the battle played out. Hong pointed toward the portal.

  “It’s getting closer.”

  Ustagov assessed that the monstrosity would reach the opening in less than five minutes. He headed down the opposite slope toward the horses.

  “Where are you going?” Hong asked.

  “We have to get out of here now.”

  “I won’t leave the others.”

  “I don’t have time to explain.” Ustagov grabbed his horse’s reins and climbed into the saddle. “If we wait any longer, it’ll be too late.”

  “I won’t abandon my duty.”

  “Your duty is to protect me.”

  “I’m not a coward. I won’t run away.”

  “Suit yourself.” Spurring on his horse, Ustagov rode off past the northern slope of the hillock with the portal to his left.

  The Xiongnu had closed to within one hundred feet of the Sataners and rampaging demons when Qiang held up his hand and ordered them to stop.

  “What are you doing?” one of his horsemen asked. “We have them on the run.”

  “I know,” said Qiang. “Let the demons take care of them. It’ll be a fitting punishment.”

  Mei checked over her shoulder as she ran for her tent. She wet herself at what she witnessed.