China

by Scott M. Baker

  Sasha walked over to the paralyzed decimator. Its eyes followed her movement. She plunged the tip of her saber through its heart and twisted. Its body shuddered once. Raising her foot, she brought the heel down on the decimator’s head. The skull ruptured, spitting out blood and gore. Removing the saber from the demon’s chest, Sasha swung around to face Bai.

  Ian moved up on Sasha’s right, clutching the hunting knife in his right hand. He sniffed back the blood dripping down his sinuses and spit it onto the decimator. Vicky picked up the machete Jeanette had attacked them with and joined Sasha on her left.

  “It’s just the four of us now,” said Sasha.

  “You are so wrong.” Euphoria spread across Bai’s face.

  Satan extended its upper torso through the portal into the earthly realm. Its gaze scanned the area in front of the portal, taking in the killing field littered with carcasses of dead Demon Spawn. Then its eyes fixated on the six figures standing before it. The demon bent down and roared a guttural howl that sounded like the personification of a blast furnace.

  Sook-kyoung glanced over at Jason. “What do we do now?”

  Jason’s voice wavered. “The rest of you grab the horses and get to a safe place.”

  “Why?”

  “We failed. Once that thing crosses through, we don’t stand a chance of closing the portal. At least you can save yourselves.”

  “What about you?” asked Haneef.

  “I’m going to make one last attempt to shut it.”

  “So are we,” Matthew replied.

  “You’re all crazy.”

  “Not necessarily.” Haneef placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Maybe it’s Allah’s will that we’ll succeed.”

  Standing erect, Satan proceeded through the portal. The remaining Golem moved to their right to allow the monstrosity to pass.

  Ustagov circled around the corner of the portal at full gallop and charged across its front. The upper portion of Satan hovered above him. Adjusting his aim, the doctor threw the bag. It sailed over his head toward the shimmering surface of the—

  With one swing of its massive right hand, Satan snatched the device in mid-air. As the horse passed, the demon used its left hand to rip Ustagov out of his saddle. The force of the blow knocked the wind out of him. The doctor hung limp in the creature’s hand.

  Sook-kyoung and Haneef responded the only way available to them. They raised their AK-47s and fired the remaining ammunition into the demon’s face. Two rounds punctured its left eye. The demon roared again, this time in anger. Searching out the cause of its pain, it spotted the two humans with the weapons and flung the saddle bag at them.

  Jason ran forward and jumped, catching it in mid-flight. He stumbled when he landed. Crouching into the fetal position, he hit the ground and rolled several times, protecting the anti-matter device. Jason stopped rolling a dozen feet from the two Golem, which were already moving toward him.

  From off to the right, Father Belsario saw the perfect opportunity. The Golem were on the other side of the portal concentrating on Jason and Satan had been blinded in its left eye. He dashed toward the portal as the monstrosity raised its left leg to enter. Reaching up to his shoulder, the cleric went to slide off the saddle bag, only to find that the strap had become caught up in his cloak. He considered pausing to disentangle it, but by then it would be too late. Instead, he clutched the bag close to his chest and ran as fast as possible.

  Closing his eyes and saying a silent prayer, Father Belsario jumped into the portal.

  He experienced a moment of excruciating anguish as his body disintegrated upon contact with the surface, and then a blissful peace as his existence ended.

  At the same time, the device’s outer casing ruptured, releasing the frozen anti-matter inside. A blinding flash of light and a thunderous roar exploded from the portal, knocking Jason, Haneef, Sook-kyoung, and Matthew off their feet. Flames washed over the surface of the portal, enveloping Satan’s torso. The portal burned intensely for several seconds, consuming itself in the conflagration until it finally collapsed inward. When it did, it cut the monstrosity in half. Its upper body dropped onto the field with a heavy thud, sending up a cloud of dirt and dust. The shock wave spread out across the area, killing every demon except one.

  “No!” Mei yelled as she watched the implosion of the gate. It was over. Everything she had struggled to achieve to bring salvation to a godless China, the sacrifices she had made in this endeavor, and the sacrifices she had forced others to make, were now all for naught. The travelers and the Unbelievers had won, and she knew well enough the fate that awaited the defeated.

  Qiang ordered one of his horsemen to bind her hands at the wrist. Once completed, he tied the other end of the rope to his horse and headed out to round up the others.

  The shockwave rolled across the landscape and washed past Sasha’s group.

  Jeanette gasped. It took her a moment to realize Lucifer pinned her to the ground, his jaws still around her neck. Her eyes scanned her surroundings until she spotted Sasha standing nearby, her saber ready to strike.

  “Sorry,” Jeanette said sheepishly.

  Sasha stepped closer. “For what?”

  “For trying to kill you.”

  “You remember that?”

  Jeanette nodded as much as she could with a set of fangs so close to her arteries. “I was aware of what went on, but I couldn’t stop myself.”

  Lilith made her way over, slowly and cautiously, and sniffed Jeanette. Her tail began wagging and she licked the young woman’s face. Lucifer morphed back into his dog form and backed away, moving behind Sasha. Sasha sheathed her saber and held out her hand to Jeanette. Jeanette took it and Sasha helped her to her feet.

  Ian stepped up to the two women. “I have a question.”

  “What is it?” Sasha asked.

  “What are we going to do about her?”

  To their surprise, Bai stood where she had been when the portal closed, alive yet greatly subdued. Vicky stood nearby with the machete, keeping a close watch on the demoness. Bai extended her hands by her side in supplication.

  “I no longer pose a threat to you. I am at your mercy, so do with me what you please.”

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Jason felt a hand on his shoulder. At first, he feared it might be a Demon Spawn until he realized the hand gently shook him. He heard Sook-kyoung’s voice. “Jason?”

  “I’m fine.” He moaned and opened his eyes. “The portals pack a punch when they close.”

  Sook-kyoung giggled, not at his bad joke but at him being alive.

  Jason grew worried. “Where’s Haneef?”

  “He’s okay.” Sook-kyoung gestured behind her. “He’s helping Ustagov.”

  As Jason got to his feet, he surveyed the area. Sure enough, the portal had collapsed. In front of it were the bodies of the four Golem killed in combat, the two that died when the portal closed, and Satan’s half carcass, the severed end pouring blood into the soil. Haneef and Ustagov approached. The doctor limped, favoring his left leg, his arm wrapped around Haneef’s shoulder for support.

  “How badly are you hurt?” Jason asked when they got close.

  “I’m in a lot of pain,” said Ustagov. “Nothing is broken, and I don’t think there’s any internal damage. I should be fine in a few days. It’s to be expected when you get ripped off your horse by a big-ass demon.”

  “You did an excellent job sneaking up on the portal while we distracted the Golem.”

  “Thanks.” Ustagov removed his arm from around Haneef’s shoulder and tried to stand. He winced under the pressure but did not collapse or ask for help. “I didn’t do anything except get my butt kicked. Father Belsario closed the portal.”

  The cleric had sacrificed himself to deploy the anti-matter device. He knew Father Belsario and Gabriel would rejoin them soon; that did nothing to lessen the sense of loss.

  Jason strung one of the two remaining backpacks containing an anti-matter device over his s
houlder and handed the second to Sook-kyoung.

  “Let’s check on the others.”

  * * *

  Jason found the rest of his team near the Sataners’ camp. As he slid out of the saddle to greet them, Lucifer and Lilith rushed him, excited that their master had survived. The werehounds jumped on Jason, knocked him to the ground, and proceeded to lick each side of his face. They stopped only when Sasha came up and lovingly shoed them away so she could say hello. As she helped Jason to his feet, she pulled him close and held him tight for several seconds.

  “I’m so glad you made it. When that thing came through the gate….” Sasha let her words trail off.

  “I’m fine.” Jason held her tight. Neither wanted to be the first to break their embrace.

  Sasha let go first. “Where are Father Belsario and Gabriel?”

  “Gabriel died battling the Golem,” said Matthew. “Father Belsario closed the portal.”

  Sasha closed her eyes and prayed for them, especially the cleric. She knew all too well the agony he endured.

  Jason approached the others. At first, Jeanette did not acknowledge him. Finally, she rushed into his arms and hugged him. She sobbed against his chest. Jason knew they were not tears of happiness. He held her tight, trying to comfort the young woman.

  “Are you all right?”

  Jeanette snorted. “I will be once we’re out of here.”

  Jason patted her back and looked at the others. He was shocked to find Vicky with a makeshift bandage wrapped around her head, the left side stained with blood.

  “What happened?”

  “Bai attacked me. Ian cut up the trousers of one of the Sataners to use as a bandage.”

  Ustagov hobbled over and examined the dressing. “I’ll patch that up when we get back to the factory.”

  “What factory?” Ian asked.

  Ustagov dismissed the question with a shake of his head. “We’ll fill you in on the way back.”

  Jason spotted the bloody remains of Antoine. He walked over, knelt on one knee, and closed his eyes. The deaths of every team member saddened Jason. Antoine’s hit him harder than some of the others. The Moroccan had been a quiet man; tough as nails and fiercely loyal. Everyone on the expedition at one time or another owed their lives to him. Now he was gone. Antoine’s absence would have a severe impact on their ability to continue their trek.

  “You’re at peace now, my old friend.”

  As Jason returned to the others, Sasha pointed to Bai. “What are we going to do with her?”

  Jason reached out with his sixth sense to detect her aura. The malevolence he had felt when watching her at the decimation field had been stripped away. Her evil essence remained, only much more subdued since she had lost her powers. He also detected fear. Even more confusing than the change in her aura was his inability to determine Bai’s essence. She did not reek of the tortured souls banished to the Underworld, nor did she read like the demons that originated in Hell. It was an entirely new category of being. Bai intrigued Jason, and he was determined to learn more about her.

  Jason walked away. “We’ll take her back to the factory with us.”

  “Why?” Sasha asked.

  “She’s the only being from the other side we’ve encountered that is intelligent and can talk. I’m going to interrogate her and find out what’s going on.”

  * * *

  Jason caught up with Qiang where the demons had savaged the Sataners. Of the cultists, only Mei and eleven children, all under the age of twelve, had survived. Qiang had ordered them taken back to the factory, Mei to be punished for her crimes and the children to be assimilated with and raised by the Xiongnu. When Mei saw Bai seated atop a horse, her arms bound and her legs lashed to the saddle, she averted her eyes and bowed her head in shame.

  The Xiongnu suffered heavy casualties in the battle, though not nearly as bad as the Sataners. Out of the sixty-nine men who joined Jason in closing the portal, twenty-four survived. The Xiongnu scavenged what they could from the Sataners, taking their horses, tents, and supplies. They then arranged a funeral pyre in the middle of the battlefield for their fallen comrades, cremating their remains. The bodies of the Sataners were left to rot in the open, just like the Demon Spawn. Qiang said they deserved no better. Jason agreed.

  The Demon Hunters dug graves for Antoine and Gabriel, choosing the hill overlooking the battlefield.

  The funerary rituals were not completed until well after sunset. Normally, the group would have camped here for the night, but everyone wanted to get as far away from this area as possible. The Xiongnu and the Demon Hunters paid their last respects to their fallen friends before heading back to the factory. The children rode on horseback. Mei walked behind Qiang’s horse, her hands bound in front of her and a rope around her neck and lashed to his saddle.

  Jason departed last, spending a few extra minutes staring at the graves of Antoine and Gabriel. He sighed. It bothered him that Antoine’s death had hit him so hard. Maybe the constant fighting had worn him down. After all, they had closed four portals in as many months, and they still had two more to go. The Demon Hunters had left a string of graves stretching across Europe and Russia and into northeast China, and he knew there would be many more left in their wake before they were through. Jason thought he had hardened himself against losing so many friends.

  Or maybe it was the encounter with the Sataners that caused him to question their trek. For months, they had been battling their way across two continents, killing an array of Demon Spawn. Up until China, it had been a monster hunt. For the most part, the humans they had encountered had offered to help, like Reno and the Russians. This time, however, they had come up against humans who had decided to side with the demons. Jason had always thought the best of people, had assumed the few survivors that remained would band together to end the threat to mankind and rebuild society. His mind boggled at the idea that the Sataners would not only throw their lot in with the Demon Spawn but would sacrifice their fellow man in the process. How many others were out there struggling to keep the portals open? How many more groups such as Mei’s would they encounter traveling to Japan and the States? How many were out there that he would never know about? It depressed him to think that if the Demon Hunters were successful in closing the portals, the world would be shared with people such as the Sataners.

  Jason turned his horse around. He mentally said one last goodbye to Antoine and Gabriel and set off after the others. As he descended the hillock, one question continually ran through his mind.

  Was this worth it?

  Preview of Shattered World IV

  Japan

  Koto Nuclear Power Plant, off the coast of Tokyo in Tokyo Bay

  Three days before the closure of the portal in China

  The five-foot-tall weeds swaying in the southwesterly wind obscured the view. It made Nori Mifune nervous. Or maybe it was the super typhoon approaching the east coast of Japan that threatened to strand them in this city of the damned until the weather system passed. More likely, a combination of the two. Mori had requested his team be allowed to abort the mission and return to Tokyo once conditions improved. Toshii had refused, stressing that they needed to get the most up-to-date readings, although he would not explain why. Nori demurred despite the feeling of impending doom that gnawed at him. The monthly trips to the power station were always dangerous. The overgrown weeds and grass had not been mowed since the apocalypse, offering the perfect hiding place. In calm weather, his team could move in close and obtain their readings, the presence of jigoku no akuma, or Hell Demons, given away by disturbances in the grass. Now that the entire field whipped about, those things could be racing in on them and no one would be aware of it until it was too late.

  A hundred yards from the perimeter fence, Haruka raised the Model 4007A Geiger counter and switched it on. Its crackling thundered in the surrounding silence.

  “What are the readings?” whispered Nori.

  “It’s .7 Sieverts per hour. Down from twe
lve Sieverts last month.”

  Nori stepped over to Akiko, who carried the JSDF Mobile Type II Multi-Purpose Broadband Radio. “Did you get that?”

  “Yes.”

  “Radio the information back to Toshii.”

  “Hai.” Akiko slid the set off her shoulder, placed it on the ground, and dialed up their base.

  Nori moved away from the others, his Howa Type 94 battle rifle in the high-ready position. Peering down the weapon’s scope, he swept the weapon in a slow one-hundred-and-eighty-degree arc, watching for disturbances in the wavering grass that might indicate an approaching Hell Demon. Isoruku joined him, his back to Nori as he scanned the area to their rear. Nori expected one of the creatures to rush them at any moment. He inhaled deep, held his breath for ten seconds, and slowly exhaled, hoping to ease the tension. It did little good.

  Every few seconds, Nori glanced over at Akiko. She spoke quietly but animatedly to someone on the other end of the line. He mentally ordered her to hurry up. After close to a minute, she waved him over. “Toshii wants to talk to you.”

  Nori took the microphone. “Yes?”

  “I need readings from inside the plant.”

  “The last time we tried, the radiation levels were lethal, and we had to abort.”

  “I know,” Toshii admitted. “At that time the levels outside were much higher. I need to know if they’ve also decreased inside.”

  Nori said nothing, knowing full well the implications of entering the plant.

  “Are you still there?”

  “Yes,” Nori sighed. “We’ll get them.”

  “Thank you. Good luck, Nori-san.”

  Nori handed the microphone to Akiko. As she packed up the radio and slid it back over her shoulder, Nori stared across the field. Two hundred feet away stood the perimeter chain link fence and another two hundred feet beyond that the Koto Nuclear Power Plant. The four cooling towers marked the location of the reactors—two under construction and two finished, one of those having collapsed during the formation of the portal. The structures were cold and sterile, appearing even more ominous in the dull light of the cloudy afternoon. The interior of the facility would be even less hospitable. And deadly.