by Heath, Joel
“That’s it.” Spencer said emerging from behind the counter. “I’m pulling the plug.” Spencer failed to see something that was sticking out from behind the counter. Spencer’s foot hit an obstruction and he tumbled to the floor.
“Damn it.” Spencer snipped, and then he saw something. Like a piece of metal under one of the shelves. Spencer pushed the shelf away to get a better look at it.
It was a latch. Spencer fumbled with the latch and opened a fairly well hidden door/panel that opened onto a tunnel under the pawnshop. There was a simple ladder that went down thirty feet to a horizontal tunnel.
“Vince!” Spencer called. “Come look at this.”
Vince came over into see what Spencer was talking about. Spencer stood and started to climb down the ladder.
“Where are you going?” Vince asked trying to strike a delicate balance between loud, quiet, alarmed and stern.
“I’m going to see what’s down here,” Spencer replied.
Vince followed Spencer down the ladder to the tunnel, which was twenty feet long. There was a door at the end which looked sturdy, but it was secured by a key pad on the side.
Vince started trying random combinations when Spencer pulled Vince aside, aimed his Glock at the keypad and pulled the trigger four times. The door swung free and opened with a bang, something Spencer’s foot encouraged with great force. Spencer stepped inside.
“Holy crap,” Spencer said when he saw the guns that were theirs for the taking.
“I don’t mean to be a downer, but the power is out all over the city, how are we getting all of these guns and ammunition to the top of the Stratosphere?” Vince asked.
“Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it,” Spencer replied as he started collecting the weapons. It was nearly nightfall when Spencer and Vince managed to get the guns to the bottom of the tower.
“Look around for an emergency generator and a freight elevator, they had to get all of those rides to the top somehow,” Spencer said
Vince and Spencer split off after entering the casino at the base of the tower. The room was dark and it was obvious from the dust and debris that the power died several days earlier. Emergency battery lighting still illuminated the area, but it too was fading.
Spencer headed to the rear of the casino where he found a layout of the lower levels. Figuring out how to read the map was a
challenge, but he quickly found the freight elevator, which was next to a loading dock.
“Vince, I found a freight elevator.”
They walked along and soon weakened battery lighting turned into a dimly lit casino, and Vince found Spencer.
“I found a generator; there wasn’t a lot of fuel,” Vince announced.
“How much time do you think we have?” Spencer asked.
“We should be able to get ourselves and a few guns and ammo to the top if we’re lucky.” Vince replied.
“Then let’s get those guns out of the trailer and up the tower before the generator fails.” Spencer suggested.
Spencer jogged for the door they entered from and brought their stash of guns to the loading dock where Vince helped load the weapons into the freight elevator.
“How much time do you think we have?” Spencer asked as he loaded a case of ammunition into the elevator.
“Truth be told, I’m surprised the power is still on, there really wasn’t much fuel left.” Vince admitted.
“Why don’t you go check?” Spencer suggested. Vince nodded and headed off to check the generator.
Vince opened the lid to check the fuel and found the bottom had a thin level of fuel.
“Oh, no!” Vince hauled ass back to the loading dock.
“We have to get up, now!” Vince urged.
“How much fuel do we have left?” Spencer asked as he loaded another case of ammo into the elevator.
“No time, let’s go.” Vince said as he and Spencer got into the elevator, and pressed the button for the observation deck leaving a sizable portion of guns and ammo on the ground floor, the elevator door closed and started moving. Half way there the lights began to flicker, not much but enough to cause concern for Spencer and Vince. As the elevator continued moving the flickering began to accelerate. Soon a creaking started gnawing away at their ears.
Vince looked at the display. “Good, we’re almost there, two more floors.” Vince said.
The floor number on the display changed.
“One more floor.”
Then the lights died, and the elevator jolted to a stop.
Spencer knew they were in trouble, but not willing to accept defeat.
“Help me pry these doors open.” Spencer said.
He and Vince pulled the doors open. They were half way between the observation deck and the floor beneath it.
“Get up, I’ll hand this stuff out to you.” Spencer directed and Vince climbed out, several large guns spilled onto the observation deck floor followed by a case of ammunition, and then the second and then a third before the creaking resumed louder and deeper than before. Spencer was standing clear of the elevator door when it happened. A snap from a weakened elevator cable made the elevator drop four feet cutting Spencer off from the observation deck before the brakes took hold, halting its rapid decent and sparing Spencer’s life, for the moment.
“SPENCER!” Vince shouted, for a long moment there was no sound but the clattering of cables at the bottom of the shaft. “SPENCER?” Vince repeated.
After a moment the silence was broken. “I’m alright.” Spencer called back trying to remain calm, but freaking out inside. Looking up at the elevator car’s ceiling he found a hatch and climbed up to it and pushed it open, the elevator creaked again before taking a final plunge.
“NO!” Vince shouted trying to reach for Spencer. Vince rushed for the open elevator shaft, hoping he survived. To his great relief he found his companion hanging on to a ladder inside the elevator shaft several floors down.
“You scared the hell out of me,” Vince said with relief.
“That’s great; could you get me a rope?” Spencer cynically requested.
Vince found a fire hose nearby and lowered the hose down to Spencer who had already climbed up two of the seven floors.
“Here.” Vince said as he lowered the hose into the elevator shaft. Soon Spencer lay on the floor outside the shaft.
“Don’t do that again,” Vince urged.
“No promises.” Spencer retorted as he lay on his back, not even bothering to look at Vince.
“I don’t get it.” Vince began.
“You don’t get what?” Spencer asked.
“That elevator couldn’t have been in such disrepair. Why did it fail?”
The word tasted like ash in their mouths, but they said it nonetheless. “Sabotage.”
Spencer started to dig through the equipment they were able to bring up the tower. The crate held a flashlight, an extensive first aid kit, and a Beretta with several clips. Spencer took the gun, loaded it, grabbed the flashlight, and pointed it up the shaft where the elevator had failed. His examination revealed nothing.
Spencer turned back to Vince. “Let’s set up.”
As the sun set Spencer and Vince took a last look at their preparations and wondered if would be enough. Then they looked around for someplace to spend the night. The dining room at the top of the tower was the most inviting option, but was not suitable without a .50 caliber rifle guarding the door. Spencer and Vince crashed in different cushioned booths. They both lay in silence for several minutes before exhaustion took them and they both fell asleep.
Spencer woke up after what seemed like several hours.
“Vince.” There was no reply. “Vince,” Spencer repeated only to have silence reply. “Masters. Where the hell are you?”
Spencer looked to where Vince had passed out, but he was gone.Probably just went take a leak, Spencer guessed. Spencer got up from the booth; he was hungry and tired of the MRE’s and hoped that there was some edible food in the
restaurant’s kitchen.
Strolling in, Spencer’s nostrils were filled with the smell of freshly cooked food. The smells meshed together in a pleasant way and made his stomach rumble in anticipation. Parts of the smell were distinguishable as cheese, chicken, fish, and lobster among others.
Spencer found that some of the food had gone bad, but some still looked somewhat edible so he began to scrounge for what could pass as edible. After twenty minutes, he was distracted by a sound from the hallway. Spencer poked his head out the door to see what it was. When he didn’t see anything he went back to eating.
After another five minutes, he reached for a salami roll and brought it to his mouth, his first glance at the meat prior to biting into it made him throw it across the kitchen in disgust, then turn and vomit. It was an arm, a bloody severed arm. A low growl interrupted him and he turned to see a demon, seven feet tall, horns adorned his head and wings were folded up behind his back. A shrill scream rang from deep in his diaphragm before he charged.
Spencer ran out the door towards the hall leading to the freight elevator. Lying on the floor next to the elevator was a human body. It was Vince’s body. Blood coated the area like a small indoor lake.
The demon burst through a wall in front of Spencer within arms reach and grabbed his neck.
“Why didn’t you try to stop me?” a voice asked behind Spencer, it was his friend Eric.
“Why did you leave me?” a second voice asked, it was Gretchen.
“You shouldn’t have gone to Dallas. Lester and I would still be alive if you had gone with us,” Louis’ voice mocked.
Then the demon held Spencer over the gaping maw of the 1,100-foot deep elevator shaft and slowly started to pull limbs off and drop them down the shaft all while Spence screamed in agony, and then the demon released Spencer’s limbless torso to drop to the ground.
Spencer awoke screaming.
“Hey, Spencer, relax, you’re safe.” Vince assured.
Spencer looked around and found himself in the room he and Vince hid in the other night.
“You had a nightmare,” Vince explained.
“You’re not kidding,” Spencer cynically replied.
“You kept calling a name,” Vince declared.
Spencer’s ears perked up. “Oh?”
“You kept calling ‘Gretchen’, was she a girlfriend?” Vince asked.
“It’s complicated,” Spencer deflected.
Vince looked interested.
“She was a survivor I found in North Carolina. I lost her in New Mexico.”
“What happened?” Vince asked.
“We stopped for fuel and supplies, we got separated. Then a horde of demons came to town, I couldn’t find her anywhere. If I had stuck around for another second I would have been killed.” Spencer explained.
“Was she hot?” Vince asked, then grimaced realizing that the question was insensitive, Vince half-expected Spencer to punch him in the face, but instead he nodded.
“So what’s the plan?” Vince asked changing the subject.
“I don’t know.” Spencer admitted.
“You don’t know?” Vince demanded.
“As far as I know we are all that’s left of the human race.”
“Are you suggesting we just commit suicide?” Vince asked dubiously.
Spencer chewed on the thought of how it would come then decided. “If I’m going to die, I want to take as many of those bastards with as I can.” Spencer hinted.
“How will we draw them in, and how will we kill them all?” Vince asked.
“A nuclear bomb.” Spencer replied.
“You’re insane.” Vince concluded.
“Maybe, but what other options do we have? I don’t want to be torn apart, do you?” Spencer asked.
Vince shook his head. “Hell no, but I don’t want to just quit.”
Spencer chuckled. “I used to think like you. I give it two days then we’ll both be offering to blow each other’s brains out.” Spencer said darkly.
Chapter 3 – At the End of the Rope…. The sun had barely started to peek over the low hills to the east when a weak and unidentifiable sound shattered the eternal quiet that had settled over the city in the wake of Hell’s attack.
Spencer and Vince had been holed up in the Stratosphere Tower for three days and their supplies were starting to dwindle. Spencer was slipping deeper and deeper into hopelessness. How were they expected to survive? Was there anybody else or were they on their own? Spencer stood overlooking the vacant city 1,100 feet below. He stared down toward the ground, he was contemplating jumping from the tower when Vince approached, a large machine gun in his hands.
“Still thinking about killing yourself?” Vince asked.
“I don’t see any other option, everybody
else is dead, why not us?”
“You don’t know that. There could still
be someone else,” Vince declared.
“WHERE?” Spencer shouted, he didn’t
give a damn if the armies of hell heard him. “I’ve
crossed the entire damn continent and only found
three other people and every last one of them is DEAD! Eric, Lester.” He paused, “Even Gretchen. God, Gretchen, I left her for dead
when I ran like a coward.”
Spencer turned to walk away when Vince
corrected him.
“You’re forgetting about one more.” “What?” Spencer demanded.
“You found me,” Vince explained. “I
would have died if you hadn’t come along.” Spencer stood there, and let the thought
set in; as he did peace bubbled to the surface
before Spencer walked back to Vince and looked
him in the eye. “Thank you.” Spencer said. “Does that mean you’ll stick around?”
Vince asked.
Spencer nodded. “I don’t know how
much longer we have left on this rock, nor if
there’s a future worth waiting for. So I’ll stick
around for now, but when the time comes I will
do it, and take as many of them with me as I
can.” Spencer promised.
“Okay, so what’s the plan?” Vince asked. “I was ready to jump to my death; I was
kind of hoping you had the plan.” Spencer
admitted.
“How about duck?”
Vince nodded at something behind
Spencer, who then turned to see a winged demon
diving at the pair. Spencer hit the deck as bullets
began flying and the demon retreated to the
south.
“You probably didn’t kill him,” Spencer
observed a he got back to his feet.
“Yeah, probably.” Vince said. “But it was
either shoot at it or be ripped to shreds.” Spencer and Vince rushed the edge of the
tower to see where the demon was going. The
fleeing demon was heading for a group of a
dozen or so demons.
“Go get me the sniper rifle. The big one,”
Spencer demanded, Vince left and soon returned
with a large sniper rifle, which Spencer quickly
loaded and aimed, set up and pointed at the
retreating demon. Spencer stopped himself from
pulling the trigger when he saw something on the
roof of a building a couple thousand feet down
the Las Vegas strip, south of Spencer’s position.
Six hive queens leading the charge!
“We are in some serious crap,” Spencer
said peering though the scope that was pointed
down towards the ground. Vince looked over the
edge of the tower.
“You’re not kidding,” Vince declared as
he saw demons arriving in droves, there must
have been tens of thousands.
“Do you think they’ll try to climb up the
tower?” Spencer asked as he continued to eyeball
the hive queens.
The tower shook from an impact near the
base.
“I wish.” Vince commented, “I think
they’re just going to knock it down.” Vince let his comment hang in the air allowing
the tension to build.
“What are you thinking?”
Spencer paused for a second with the
head of a hive queen in his cross hairs, his finger
patiently wrapped across the trigger.
“How many can we take out before it all
hits the fan?” Spencer asked then squeezed the
trigger.
A loud explosion ripped through the air
like a bolt of lighting, striking the head of a
queen and opened a gaping hole in the black
leather of the horned head. The body dropped to
the ground and the remaining five turned their
wrath towards the origin of the shot. The tower
faintly shook again as the demons struck the
tower’s base again.
Spencer reloaded the rifle and took aim at
a second hive queen. Pulling the trigger, a second
headless body dropped to the ground. Then a
third queen fell to Spencer’s sniper rifle. Spencer
reloaded in hopes of a fourth kill shot, but the
three remaining queens had pinpointed Spencer
and were on the move jumping from building top
to building top evading him and directing their
hordes straight at him.
Spencer caught one in his crosshairs and
pulled the trigger, the shot ripped though the air,
but his target moved out of the path of the bullet
at the last instant.
“Damn it, I missed,” Spencer mourned
before trying to reload. “These damn things are
getting a little too fast.”
The three remaining demon queens were
rapidly closing the fifteen hundred feet to the
base of the tower and only had three hundred feet
to go when Spencer finished reloading the sniper
rifle
Taking careful aim he caught a queen in
his scope, and this time there was no escape.
