Kate nodded and leaned against the tunnel wall. “Where’s Doc?”
“I wish I knew…hopefully he’s close.”
Like the wind, Doc Holliday ran through the dim tunnels, moving faster than any ordinary human could. He traveled some distance from the elevator shaft when suddenly a demonic howl split the silence, bringing him to a complete stop. The call sounded close.
No doubt, the landlord is aware of his intruders, he mused. I wonder if old Roberts is making a nuisance of himself?
“We meet again,” said a gruff voice. “How lucky for me. But not for you, dentist.”
Further down the tunnel, the speaker stepped out from the shadows. It was a demon whose skin was covered in thick spines and its repulsive face was dominated by an oversized mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. A holstered revolver hung low on its hip. It was the drifter.
“Well, my day just keeps getting better.” Holliday drew his long, thin blade and grinned wolfishly. “Have you come to see the weapon that ended your pet’s life? Pretty, isn’t it?”
With a bestial growl, the drifter leapt at Holliday with extended arms, eager to crush the gambler’s neck. At the last possible moment, Holliday narrowly sidestepped the attack, claws and spines catching and tearing at his clothes as the demon’s momentum carried him past. Grasping nothing but empty air, the monster spun to face the gambler, raging in anger and frustration.
“My, my. You do have a temper,” gloated Holliday, stepping back from the demon. He’s fast! “You need to relax a little.”
The demon’s black eyes glinted under the fungi’s light, his face full of rage. “Your woman is dead,” spat the demon.
What?!
“I crushed the life from her myself. And she squealed as she died.”
No!
Hatred flowed through Holliday, quickly building into an unquenchable rage. A rage that started to transform his body. His shoulders and arm muscles rapidly thickened and engorged, bulging under already tattered clothing. Veins as thick as rope stood out along his thickening neck as he breathed deeply, expanding his chest. These rapid changes in his physique proved too much for his shirt and the buttons popped clean off, exposing a pale, barrel-like chest beneath.
Casting aside his sword, Holliday stooped slightly and flexed his newly-acquired muscles, feeling his improved strength. Manicured nails extended into wicked claws as he locked eyes with his foe. His colorless eyes now burned with an internal fury that wasn’t present before.
A blood-curdling snarl erupted from Holliday’s throat, issuing a challenge to the drifter and exposing long, white canines. The frail dentist was gone, the beast within was awake.
And he had a thirst for killing.
If the demon was surprised by Holliday’s sudden transformation, he didn’t show it. “Let’s get this over with, dentist.”
In a blur, Holliday surged forward with lightning speed, slashing a clawed hand at the demon’s face. The spiny creature avoided the blow, catching Holliday’s wrist in a powerful grip. Reacting quickly, Holliday slashed upward with his other hand, leaving four bloody gashes across the demon’s face and spraying black droplets into the air.
The drifter gripped both of Holliday’s wrists and drove him back several yards, building up sped like a steam loco. The gambler couldn’t slow the drifter and was slammed back into the wall. The impact dislodged dirt and stones from the ceiling above, coating the two combatants in dust. The drifter followed up and rammed into Holliday’s chest with his spikey shoulder, knocking the wind out of him.
Son of a—
A roar escaped the demon as he lifted Holliday off the ground by his neck and threw him across the tunnel. The gambler flew through the air, striking the opposite wall head first with a sickening crunch before dropping listlessly to the ground, where he lay motionless.
“Another mortal soul for my master to devour,” said the drifter-demon, striding to its slumped adversary. Reaching down, the creature dragged Holliday to his feet by his tattered coat collar so their faces were level.
The gambler’s eyes were closed and blood trickled down his face from a savage gash in his forehead.
“I wonder if your soul tastes as good as your whore’s.”
“You’ll never know!”
White eyes flicked open as Holliday drove his fist up under the demon’s chin, whipping its head back. The demon released Holliday’s coat and staggered back. The gambler followed up, striking again and again, firing each of his clenched fists one after the other into the demon’s solar plexus.
The demon staggered back under the rapid attacks—Holliday didn’t slow, his knuckles now coated with black blood. The demon brought his superior strength to bear with a backhanded blow, knocking Holliday off his feet and sending him flying. The gambler landed flat on his back, but rolled to his feet just as the demon came lumbering up. He was fast, but not fast enough to avoid a spiny fist connecting with his face.
Aargh!
Grimacing, Holliday narrowly ducked under a second punch aimed at his head and retaliated by raining blow after blow in quick succession into the demon’s guts. Again, the demon swung at Holliday, but Holliday easily dodged it. Its attacks were slowing.
The gambler speared his hand into the demon’s chest and heard the satisfying crunch of breaking bones and tearing flesh as his hand vanished inside the demon. The demon’s black eyes went wide and its mouth dropped open in surprise, barely comprehending what was happening.
Die, monster!
Tearing his hand free, Holliday dragged the demon’s beating heart and trailing arteries out of its chest cavity, spilling black gore onto the ground and filling the air with a foul stench. Like a falling tree, the spiny demon fell silently backward, where it lay motionless staring upward.
Cocking his arm, Holliday threw the demon’s still beating heart down the tunnel.
“Fetch, bitch.”
Chapter 24
Pat and Kate hid in the shadow of a doorway and peered into a large, naturally-formed chamber. A fire with odd green-blue flames roared in the center of the high-ceilinged space, casting dancing shadows along its walls—
Sky Rocks.
The thought sent a shiver up Pat’s spine, reminding her of the wasteland and the large fire pit buried deep under the ground there—that pit was multiple times larger than this fire and it was where she witnessed demons entering into our world.
The pair watched in silence as the hunchback’s stooped form bent over a stone table. It was a strange scene. Several people stood up against a wall, like soldiers, while the hunchback worked nearby. They seem unperturbed by the ugly man’s nearness and guessing by their clothing, it was possible these were the missing locals.
Why don’t they make a run for it? They’re not chained. What’s keeping them here?
Kate craned her head to see the entire chamber. Pat restrained her with a firm hand on her shoulder before she gave away their position. They had endured too much to risk being discovered now as they made their escape from this demon lair.
“Doc’s not here,” Kate whispered. “Is he near?”
Should I tell her I have no idea?
“He’s close,” Pat replied after a long pause.
Kate’s expression showed doubt, but she remained silent.
The Hungarian’s focus returned to the chamber as a tall man with a crooked nose entered through an opening opposite the two women. The gunman mumbled something to the hunchback and the pair left in a hurry. Suddenly, the townspeople animated into life as if they had just woken. They followed after the mage, leaving the chamber empty and eerily quiet.
After a minute, Pat tapped Kate’s shoulder and cautiously they stood and entered the deserted chamber. The marshal held her revolver at the ready, prepared to blast anything that moved back to whatever hell they spawned from. But the cave contained only a small pile of Sky Rocks, worth a fortune, and a stone table containing what appeared and smelled like a burnt human body.
Ew, gross.
�
�What is that?” asked Kate, covering her nose and pointing at the charred bones.
Over the stench of burnt flesh was another aroma, pungent and one that Pat couldn’t identify. It was a chemical smell that assaulted and burned the lining of her nose.
“I don’t know,” she said, stepping back from the stone table. “It’s time to go.”
They left, taking the tunnel the hunchback and the others took. After a short distance the tunnel opened into a natural cavern, several times larger than the chamber they had just left. The cavern was gloomy as the alien yellow fungi weren’t present there. Dark shapes moved around several campfires scattered about the area.
“Find the intruders and kill them all,” the hunchback barked. His voice sounded loud in the still air. “Except the girl, she must live.”
The townsfolk jumped to their assigned tasks and disappeared down several side passages leading out of the cavern. An old Chinese woman dressed in simple straw-colored clothes headed directly toward them. Swearing silently, Pat grabbed Kate’s arm and together they ran back to the smaller chamber. Pat glanced about. There was nowhere to hide. Out of desperation, she threw herself up against the wall beside the doorway and pulled Kate to her side. They held their breaths.
The old woman paused before the entrance, hesitant to move into the room. She sniffed the air, like a hog sniffing for food. Could she smell them hiding several feet away? Crouching low, the old woman crept into the room, her thin arms held wide like she was preparing to wrestle a bear. Her wrinkled features bore a manic grin and her eyes…
Her eyes!
The old Chinese woman’s eyes were totally black and her features and bearing gave her an unnerving appearance. Cautiously, she moved further into the room then stopped suddenly and turned to face them, sending Pat’s blood cold.
The marshal raised her revolver, but she wasn’t fast enough. In a heartbeat, the woman leapt at Pat, grabbing her gun arm in a surprisingly powerful grip for one so small. Without hesitation, the old woman sunk her teeth deep into Pat’s arm, biting through cloth and into flesh.
“Argh!” Pat yelped, dropping her revolver.
The tall marshal tried to prize the smaller woman off her arm, but her thin bony fingers hung on tight.
Get off!
With all her strength, Pat punched the old woman in the forehead with little effect. In a panic, she struck again and again and eventually, the old woman’s head jerk back and she released her grip. Following up, Pat drove her knee deep into the old woman’s mid-section and sent her reeling across the chamber.
The old woman recovered swiftly, springing to her feet faster than a person so frail-looking had a right to. Her dark eyes glistened in the fire light as she looked from Pat to Kate, measuring them up like a wily old predator. She grinned, exposing a row of discolored teeth now coated with Pat’s blood.
“Grandma, you’re not yourself,” Pat said, hoping she could get through to the woman. “You need to resist the demon within.”
The woman responded by uttering a feral growl and leaping forward with renewed enthusiasm. Pat kicked out with a booted foot, hoping to knock the woman to the ground without killing her. But the old woman possessed uncanny and unnatural reflexes, leaping over the marshal’s leg with ease and latching onto her arm once again.
“No you don’t.”
Pat pushed back the woman’s head, narrowly avoiding her snapping teeth. The old woman was strong, and after several seconds Pat felt her own strength waning as the woman’s mouth closed in on her flesh.
Thud!
The old woman’s head jerked suddenly to the side. Kate had appeared behind the Chinese woman, a rock raised above her shoulder.
Thud!
Kate struck the demon woman again with all the force she could muster. “And this is for chaining me like an animal!”
Thud!
The old Chinese woman went limp and crumpled to the ground. Kate stood motionless, the bloody rock still a poised for another strike, but the old woman didn’t move.
“Are you all right?” asked Pat.
Kate lowered her arm and dropped her make-shift weapon to the ground.
“I needed to…stop her. Is she…dead?”
Pat bent down and put the back of her hand in front of the woman’s mouth. “She’s alive.”
Kate sighed with relief.
“We need to get out of here,” Pat stated, glancing toward the exit. It’s possible someone could have heard them.
“Not before I look at your arm.”
Pat’s shirt sleeve was stained red and blood dripped from the bite wound on her forearm.
I hope this isn’t infected.
Ripping a length of material from her dress’s hem, Kate went to work bandaging Pat’s wound. Pat was impressed at her companion’s skill, which must have been evident on her face.
“What?” the Hungarian said, returning Pat’s stare. “I have bandaged Doc many times.”
The marshal nodded, and then scooped up her revolver. She swore as pain shot up her arm.
That’ll make it harder to shoot straight.
Pat Garrett prided herself in the fact she never missed anything she aimed at, but this injury would make it difficult to hold a weapon, let alone shoot straight.
“You all right?” ask Kate.
“Yeah. Lucky I can shoot just as well with both hands,” she lied, gripping the revolver in her off hand. It didn’t feel natural. “Come on. Let’s go.”
They crossed the chamber to the exit when Pat heard something and grabbed Kate’s arm. Something was heading their way.
“Not that way.” With her injury, Pat wanted to avoid a fight. Pulling Kate across the room, they hurried back down the tunnel—forced back toward the hunchback. Pat said a silent prayer, praying that the crooked mage and his demons were gone. It wouldn’t end well for them if they got caught between the hunchback and whatever new threat was headed their way.
Pat peered into the cavern where they last saw the hunchback. It was empty.
Finally, some good luck.
The absence of the demon mage and his henchmen didn’t cure the uneasy feeling Pat felt in the pit of her stomach.
Around the cavern the strangely colored fires crackled, their flames leaping into the air and creating distorted shadows along the walls. It was odd, for the number of fires in the chamber it didn’t smell smoky, adding to Pat’s already uneasy feeling. Regardless of the lack of smoke, the air still felt heavy and thick.
I don’t like this…
After scanning the shadows, Pat cautiously entered the chamber a few steps then stopped. Nothing leapt out at her and she moved forward again. Kate followed so close behind her that she was almost stepping on the back of the tall marshal’s boots.
Suddenly from nowhere, the hunchback appeared—stepping out of the shadows like he entered from a hidden room. Surprised, Pat stumbled back, bumping into Kate.
The ugly man smiled cruelly and knowingly. “Ladies. I hope you’re not leaving.” The demon’s voice boomed across the chamber like a physical blow, forcing the pair to take a backward step.
Regaining some composure, Pat raised her revolver and squeezed the trigger, sending an iron bullet rocketing across the chamber. The projectile flew true and impacted dead center of the hunchback’s chest.
Yes! Die you…
But the bullet passed clear through the demon’s body, ricocheting off the stone wall behind him. The hideous man remained standing. In fact, he was smiling as though nothing happened. His dark eyes drank in the women’s surprise and he broke into laughter. The repulsive sound bounced around the chamber and Pat fought down the desire to break and run.
“How?” muttered Kate, her legs weakening. “Not possible.”
Determine to end the demon, Pat thumbed back the revolver’s hammer and aimed again. She squeezed the trigger, but the hammer didn’t fall.
Suddenly, the hunchback stopped laughing. He swooshed the air with his hand, like he was swatting a b
ug, and Pat’s world spun wildly. It felt like a mountain smashed down on her and before she knew it, she was lying crumpled on the ground. Somewhere close, Kate groaned. She had suffered a similar fate.
“Argh!” Pat strained to stand but couldn’t push herself up from the stone floor. It felt like a massive weight was sitting on her shoulders holding her down.
A shadow fell over Pat and a rough hand gripped her hair. Abruptly, her head was yanked up and she gazed into the hunchback’s soulless eyes. “How nice,” he purred, breathing his foul breath into her face. “Your willingness to throw away your life is…commendable. But very stupid.”
Go to hell!
“Never mind that, my dear.” A smile appeared on the hunchback’s ugly features. “I have no need of you now, but never fear, I will not waste your lives. Your blood will help satisfy my master’s hunger…at least for a short time.”
Chapter 25
Speeding through the gloomy tunnels and driven by anger, Holliday raced onward. Each night, his mutation altered his physical strength, endurance and heightened his senses. But there was a downside to his mutation. Strong emotions brought the threat that his inner beast could be released. The beast was a reflection of his wild nature—a force he couldn’t control when it took hold, giving him cause to fear its emergence.
Thankfully the beast had retreated and he could think clearly.
‘We all have our own personal demons.’
And mine wants to kill this hunchback.
Anger often triggered the beast’s arrival and when it came, his rage took over and his reasoning was gone. In that moment prior to the beast’s appearance, Holliday hated himself for what he would do…and he hated the world as well. The beast’s burning hatred could only be quenched by destruction, and more often than not, death. People always died when the beast came.
Racing through the darkness, Holliday could feel the beast was near—it bubbled like boiling water just beneath the surface of his logical brain.
Save Kate first, he reasoned. Then kill them all. He tried to suppress the rage he felt, but Kate’s face flashed in his mind and the beast stirred ever closer.
Doc Holliday_The Sky Fire Chronicles Page 16
