“Holy shit!” Oddball exclaims.
“All the wealth of the world,” Muller muses.
Vanessa looks at a statue.
“They look like angels,” Pilch comments.
Vanessa points to the closest one, “Gargoyles.”
Pilch shrugs, “Still gorgeous.”
Vanessa looks closely at a statue. Monte sees a door on the other side that Yusif is already moving toward, “Come on, let’s go.”
“I ain’t leavin’ without a souvenir. For my mom, of course,” Oddball says as he picks up a coin and flips it into the air.
“No. It’ll slow you down,” Monte tells him.
Karl has walked to the center and is filling his pack with treasure.
Yusif looks back from the door, “It is death to take from them.”
“Who?” Pilch asks.
Yusif points to the statue that Vanessa is inspecting.
“I’m telling you, they ain’t gonna mind. Right, pal?” Oddball tosses a coin at Karl to get his attention. Karl looks in his direction and smiles.
“It looks so life-like; the quality is excellent,” Vanessa touches the statue and jerks her hand back, “Oh my god! It’s not stone.”
“What is it?” Pilch asks her.
“It’s real,” she says quickly heading for the door.
“We’re leaving,” and Monte turns to leave.
Oddball turns to go, but when Monte can’t see, he scoops up a handful of coins and pockets them. The ground trembles.
Muller is at the door, “Karl, leave it.”
“Not on your life,” he lifts the bag up over his shoulder with a grunt. The ground rocks.
“That can’t be good,” Pilch says and runs for the door.
“Shit,” Monte yells.
A gargoyle slips from the wall landing on the ground, wings flapping.
“They’re alive!” Muller screams to Karl.
Monte grabs Vanessa and pushes her out of the room. Oddball runs for the door.
“Behind you!” Monte screams at him.
A gargoyle flies toward Oddball, who turns and throws a handful gold coins at it, “I don’t want it; I don’t want it!” She dives at him, claws extended. Oddball screams and ducks, and she sails over him.
“Run!” Monte screams waving Oddball on.
Three gargoyles descend on Karl.
“Sarge, help me!” Oddball shrieks as the gargoyle swings around. Monte pulls Oddball through the door. The gargoyle is closing in on them and as they burst through, Muller slams the door closed. They hear Karl’s screams from the other side. The door crashes, and Muller is pushed back.
“I don’t think they’re staying inside.”
Yusif helps him hold the door. Another crash, and they both are pushed back. Oddball jumps in to help. Three hits rock the door, knocking the men down. A gargoyle stands in the doorway holding Karl’s severed head. Monte levels his gun. The Gargoyle knocks him onto the ground and flies down the hallway. Another steps out and looks at Oddball. The creature growls, showing its sharp teeth. Oddball crawls back against the wall, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Oddball reaches in his pocket and starts throwing gold coins into the room. The Gargoyle raises her hand back, ready to strike with razor sharp claws, “Couple more.”
Monte levels his gun at her.
“I wouldn’t,” Yusif advises him.
Monte looks to see the rest of the Gargoyles standing in the doorway, ready to attack.
Monte looks to Oddball, “Sorry, son, you’re on your own.”
Oddball tosses in the last of the coins and looks into the room, “There you go! That’s all of ’em.” Oddball smiles. The Gargoyle stares at him.
“Oh, shit,” Oddball says.
With a rush of air, the other Gargoyle flies back into the room. Oddball cringes. The one in front of him leans down and waves her finger ‘no.’
“Yeah, got it. Real sorry, won’t happen again.”
She speaks in an ancient tongue and then scratches Oddball’s cheek, just enough to draw blood. Oddball shakes with fear as she slams the door closed. He lies back on the floor with a sigh.
Pilch smiles, “Think she’s fresh on you.”
Oddball looks over to him, “I wonder what she said.”
“Do not touch me, my possessions nor my heart,” Vanessa translates.
“Trust me, I ain’t touchin’ nothing that bitch has got!”
Monte looks around the tunnel they’re now in. It’s lined with human skulls from floor to ceiling. At the far end, a speck of red light can be seen.
Pilch looks around at the skulls, “Must be thousands.”
“There is no end to man’s greed when it comes to gold,” Yusif states, “And in this place, they must pay for it.”
Monte leads the way forward, “Let’s make sure we don’t become wallpaper, too.”
Oddball looks to the light at the end of the tunnel, “That don’t look like sunlight to me.”
Yusif nods, “We are almost there.”
Oddball stops, “So let me get this straight -- the door to hell is just ahead, and you want us to just walk up and close it?”
Yusif nods and continues on.
Oddball shakes his head, “Something wrong with that guy. He’s always too calm.”
Yusif leads them to an intersection and stops. He looks ahead, toward the light.
“Look,” Pilch says and points to the wall where Karl’s head is surrounded by ancient skulls.
“Bastards,” Muller says.
“The door, we must hurry,” Yusif says.
From the other corridor, they hear the rush of running boots. Monte looks toward the noise, “Go! We’ll keep them off your back.”
Yusif starts moving toward the light.
“Pilch, go with him,” Monte orders.
Pilch and Monte lock eyes, tension in the air. Pilch nods and turns to go.
“Wait,” Monte says and Pilch turns back to find Monte’s hand extended.
Oddball and Muller take up firing positions, preparing for the onslaught. Oddball stares down his sights waiting, “Dear Mom. I’m standing in a skull-lined cave under the desert. On one side of me is an army of undead. On the other side, the gate to hell. Hope all is well back in Sioux Falls. Love, Oddball.”
Vanessa shakes her head, “You certainly have a way with words.”
“That’s what my drill sergeant told me.”
Vanessa looks to Oddball, Monte and Muller with weapons ready, “Do you have an extra gun?”
Oddball hands her a pistol with a smile.
“Thanks,” and she kisses him on the lips.
Pilch stares at the hand for a long moment and then reaches out to take it. The two men grip hands firmly.
“Go,” Monte tells him, and Pilch starts after Yusif.
“Stop!”
Pilch looks back to see Belial at the tunnel’s entrance and runs after Yusif.
Monte looks to Belial, “No stopping him now.”
Belial glares at Monte, “You will live to see the end of days for this.”
Monte nods, “So be it,” and Monte shoots Belial in the head.
Chapter 18
Pilch and Yusif walk carefully down the tunnel. Pilch looks over his shoulder as gunfire erupts behind them.
“Get ready,” Yusif advises.
Something moves ahead, “What’s that?”
“I was told the gate would be guarded.”
“By who?”
“My father.”
Pilch sighs, “No, guarded by who?”
Yusif smiles, “The ones who opened the gate. Sumerians.”
Ahead, four skeletons step from alcoves in the wall. Yusif draws his scimitar as a Sumerian advances, his sword held low, the point waving back and forth.
“Welcome to 1943 asshole,” Pilch fires, and the Sumerian’s skull explodes. The rest charge for them. Pilch fires again, and another goes down.
“Do not go gently,” Yusif mutters.
The
last two skeletons attack with their swords. Pilch uses his rifle to block a swipe. The Sumerian easily knocks his rifle from his hands and draws back for the deathblow. Yusif blocks a swipe and quickly swipes the head off the skeleton Pilch is facing. He has saved Pilch but opened himself up for attack. The last skeleton catches him in the side. Yusif goes down with a cry, and the skeleton raises his sword. Pilch fires his pistol, taking the skeleton’s head off.
Chapter 19
Belial smiles at Monte as he spits the smoking bullet from his mouth, “Fools.”
From behind Belial step Harris, Margrave, and ten other German and American soldiers.
Oddball lowers his weapon and smiles, “Hey L-T,” and waves.
Monte looks over to Oddball, irked.
Oddball looks to Monte, “What?”
Monte shakes his head in irritation. Belial walks toward the passage, heading for Yusif and Pilch. Monte steps in front of him, blocking his path, “You and me got business.”
Belial raises his hand palm out and sends a blast of energy that knocks Monte to the floor.
“Neat trick,” Monte compliments him as he starts after Pilch again. Monte kicks him in the knee as he passes, with no effect.
“Insolent knave,” Belial says stopping to run him through with his sword.
The sword slips into Monte’s chest and breaks through his back with a wet crunch; he shudders as Belial twists the blade inside of his body. Monte reaches out, and with both hands grabs hold of the blade, keeping Belial in place.
“No!” Oddball screams.
Belial smiles evilly down at Monte and kicks him off the blade with a spray of blood. Monte falls back dead.
Belial looks back to Harris and the undead, “Kill them all,” he orders and then moves down the hallway unopposed.
Chapter 20
Pilch and Yusif walk to the end of the tunnel. Yusif walks with a limp while carrying his scimitar and a Sumerian sword.
Pilch looks to his wound, “You could have let me take the blow.”
“Then, you would be dead.”
“But you’d be OK and have a better chance…”
Yusif interrupts him, “My fate was sealed the day I was born.”
A simple wooden door stands open 30 meters ahead.
“We are here.”
Pilch looks to the wooden door, “That’s it?”
“Yes.”
“Just that shitty wooden door?”
“Mahogany, I believe.”
“The gates to Hell!” and Pilch makes big gestures with his arms, “A fucking mahogany door.”
“I am sorry it is not what you expected.”
A small dog-sized creature emerges from the gateway.
“Hey boy,” Pilch calls and pats his side. The creature opens its mouth and gives a ear-piercing demonic scream.
“What the hell is that?” Pilch cries out in alarm.
Yusif shrugs, “Imp.”
“What the fuck is an imp?” and Pilch looks to see it has a scaly red hide.
“A lesser demon.”
“Lesser?”
“Still very nasty.”
The imp opens its mouth in a growl, and Pilchs’ eyes go wide at seeing multiple rows of razor sharp teeth, “Jesus Christ!”
It charges, its knife-like claws digging into the stone and sending out showers of sparks.
“Excuse me,” Yusif says and steps forward.
The imp lunges for his throat and he neatly cuts it in two.
Pilch looks down at the quivering flesh, “Is there a greater demon?”
“Yes, many sizes.”
Pilch is speechless.
Yusif looks to him, “We must hurry.”
They are both knocked to the ground by an energy blast and look back to see Belial marching toward them.
“I got him, go,” Pilch says climbing to his feet.
“No, it would mean certain death.”
“The gate, it’s more important than you or me.”
Yusif looks into his eyes, “Not to me.”
Yusif stands, swords in hand, facing Belial.
Chapter 21
Harris stares at Oddball, “I never did like you.”
Oddball smirks, “Well that’s just ’cause you didn’t get to know me; I’m a good soldier.”
“I doubt that.”
Oddball throws a grenade he has deftly pulled from the back of his belt. It lands at the feet of the cocky lieutenant. Muller and Vanessa open fire as the grenade explodes. Harris sails into the air with his legs ripping off and going in different directions.
Belial and Yusif fight, swords’ striking together with showers of sparks sailing off.
Belial steps back, “Why do you fight me, son of mine.”
Pilch fires round after round to no effect.
Belial smiles, “Join me like your father’s fathers should have; walk with me hand in hand as we conquer this world.”
Yusif attacks.
Oddball, Muller and Vanessa fight back-to-back. Harris crawls up to Oddball and trips him to the floor.
Oddball falls with a cry, and Harris crawls on top of him, “I’m going to rip your fucking throat out boy!” and he opens his mouth to bite.
Vanessa jams the barrel her pistol into his mouth, “Manners manners.” And she pulls the trigger.
Muller shoots, and the last soldier goes down. He looks around at the bloody carnage, “That wasn’t so bad.”
Oddball stands and looks around at the bodies, “Where’s Monte?”
Vanessa looks around, “You don’t think…”
Mueller nods, “He’s turned.”
They hear the pounding of boots and the battle cry of men.
“That don’t sound good,” Oddball says.
Muller looks down the tunnels. The roar of the charging undead becoming louder. He sighs, “A glorious death.”
“I was hoping for a glorious life,” Vanessa tells him.
“Yeah, that sounds better,” Oddball agrees.
Hundreds of undead are charging for them.
“Oh well,” Vanessa sighs.
Pilch moves in to try and hit Belial in the back. Belial kicks Yusif to the ground and uses an energy bolt to send Pilch sailing down the passage, landing hard. Belial turns to Yusif who struggles to get to his feet, battered and injured. Belial draws his sword back for the deathblow.
“I told ya’. You and me got business,” Monte stands ready, Sumerian sword in hand.
Belial turns and smiles, “You are my servant now,” and Belial extends his palm trying to bend Monte to his will. Monte stares him down holding strong but then slowly begins to falter under his will.
“Now, kill for me,” and Belial closes his hand into a fist. Monte fights for control; he looks back to Pilch who lays on the ground defenseless.
“Kill him,” Belial orders.
Monte fights to bring his head around and look at Belial, “No!”
Yusif stands behind Belial, and with a cry, runs his sword into his back. Belial doesn’t flinch; he looks down at the blade extending from his chest and smiles. Yusif twists the blade with no effect, and Belial swings his arm back hitting Yusif in the face and sending him to the ground, “You don’t have the power to defeat me, your family never has.”
“But I do,” and Monte thrust his sword into Belial’s chest coming face to face with him, “Undead to undead, you gotta go,” and Monte rips the blade out, dropping Belial to his knees.
“Mercy,” he cries.
Monte swings his blade, sending Belial’s head skipping down the passage and through the gate. Belial’s body explodes in a burst of energy, and Monte is thrown to the ground.
Muller, Oddball, and Vanessa all fire into the ranks of the approaching undead. They’re almost on them.
“Save a round,” Muller advises them.
Vanessa looks to him.
“For yourself,” and Muller turns his pistol on his own head. Vanessa and Oddball look at each other and do the same.
&
nbsp; Oddball looks into her eyes, “I hope they made it.”
The undead are on them. Oddball locks the hammer back on his pistol, “I think it would have been good.”
“I know it would have been,” and Vanessa kisses him.
A burst of energy knocks them down.
Pilch helps Yusif to his feet, and they look to Monte lying on the ground, “Is he?” Pilch asks.
Monte climbs up to one knee, nods to Pilch, and looks to Yusif, “Never was big on long good byes.”
Yusif nods his head in understanding. Monte closes his eyes and before Pilch can speak, Yusif swings his sword decapitating him. Pilch looks up at Yusif and nods and then looks to the gate. The two help each other hobble to it.
“Mother of god!” Pilch exclaims looking in.
An army of undead stand in an endless chamber, stretching as far as the eye can see.
“That is why we are here. They are ready to be unleashed on humankind.”
“What’s holding them in?”
“Time. When the sun next sets, they will be free to cross over into our world.”
“And how are we supposed to know when the sun sets?”
Yusif pulls out a pocket watch, “It was much harder before the watch.”
Pilch glares at him, and Yusif smiles with a wink.
“So let’s close this thing ,and get the hell out of here.”
Yusif shakes his head, “Not so easy,” he looks to Pilch, “The door can only be closed from the inside. One of the living must be sacrificed.”
“You said all we had to do was close the gate. No one said anything about…” he points toward the army of undead, “… going in there.”
Yusif calmly takes his shirt off, revealing a row of long vertical scars across his chest, “It cannot be helped.”
Pilch takes a step back, “You son-of-a-bitch. You’re not throwing me in there.”
“You Americans. Always assuming the worst about my people.”
Yusif mumbles a short prayer.
“What are you doing?”
Yusif gestures to the scars on his chest, “I was born with these scars. One for every generation in my family that has closed this portal through the centuries. I have been waiting for this day since I was born.”
Rise of the Undead 1943 Page 8
