Hell Gate

by Josh Matthews

  “Wouldn’t it widen the portal?”

  “I don’t think so.” Doc thought for a moment. “Have you ever seen a fire crew put out an oil refinery blaze?”

  “No.”

  “They lower explosives into the fire, place it near the top of the burning well and ignite it. The blast creates a vacuum that only lasts for a few milliseconds, just enough time to starve the flames and extinguish the fire. This works on the same principle. In theory, the explosion of the antimatter should be enough to blast the portal shut.”

  “In theory?” asked Jason.

  Some of Doc’s confidence deflated. “Yeah.”

  “And if you’re wrong?”

  “Then we died trying.”

  That last thought did not impress Jason very much.

  He started to ask Doc what made him think they could get close enough to the Hell Gate to deploy the device when Lucifer’s head shot up. His ears bent back, and his lips curled. A growl escaped from deep in his throat. A moment later, Jason winced as the presence of a large number of Hell Spawn overwhelmed his senses.

  A blood-curdling screech cut through the darkness. A moment later, Haneef’s minigun sprang to life, its staccato firing echoing amongst the trees, followed by a chorus of screeches.

  Jason jumped to his feet and grabbed his crossbow. “Soul vampires!”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Jason raced off toward the sound of the gunfire. The two werehounds morphed into their demonic forms and began to run after him. Jason spun around. “Stay here and guard Doc.”

  Lilith immediately circled back around and crouched down by Doc, ready to spring to the attack. Lucifer inched forward, wanting to stay with his master. His ears were flattened, and his eyes pleaded. Jason didn’t have time for this.

  “I said stay. Keep Doc safe.”

  Lucifer whimpered once before going back and taking his place opposite Lilith.

  By now, additional weapons fire could be heard throughout camp as the rest of the group sprang into defense. The gunfire came from the north where Haneef had been on guard. So far, no other firing had occurred. Jason wondered if that meant that the attack was a head-on assault coming from only one direction, which seemed unlikely considering the soul vampires were superior hunters. He assumed that either the attack on the flanks had not taken place yet, or that in their excitement the rest of the group had forgotten to circle the wagons.

  Lucifer and Lilith faced south, their ears arched forward. A second later, Doc heard the rustling of soul vampires racing through the undergrowth toward him. He stumbled to his feet and clutched the saddlebag tight against his chest. The two werehounds placed themselves between him and the approaching demons.

  Two soul vampires emerged from the darkness. The closest one lunged, aiming for Doc. He flinched, ready to be taken down. Lucifer jumped and slammed into the soul vampire in mid-leap, his jaws snapping shut around its neck. The two hit the ground. Lucifer pinned the demon on its back, his front paws on its chest and his jaws still clenched around its throat. With a ferocious twist of his head, the werehound ripped out the soul vampire’s throat. Its screech drowned out into a blood-soaked gurgle, and its body convulsed for a few seconds before going limp. Lucifer slapped the eyeless head with a paw, making sure it was dead.

  The second soul vampire darted toward Lilith. She bolted forward to confront it. At the last second, the demon broke left and circled around her. Lilith tried to stop, sliding several feet along the fallen leaves and twigs before regaining her footing. The soul vampire cut back to the right. For a moment, Doc thought it would come after him. Instead, it ran past him toward the center of camp.

  Outside the glare of the campfire, Sasha lifted up her minigun. Antoine stood behind her, holding the ammo pack in place while she slid her arms through the straps. Jason rushed over to them.

  “Where are the others?” he asked.

  “Most went north to help Haneef.” Sasha rested the straps on her shoulder and fastened the harness around her waist. “I sent some of my people to watch the flanks.”

  “What about to the south?”

  “We’re going to take care of—”

  The sounds of a werehound and a soul vampire engaging in a struggle cut off Sasha. Growls and screeches accompanied the scuffling. Jason glanced in the direction where he had left Doc.

  In the fringes of the firelight, Jason saw a soul vampire rushing through the woods toward them. He raised his crossbow, trying to aim at the moving target. Antoine saw it, too, and shoved Sasha out of the way. She fell to the dirt, the weight of the gun pinning her down. The soul vampire lunged, passing over Sasha and hitting Antoine instead, knocking him over.

  Resting on his knees, Doc struggled to remove his Glock from its holster when he heard something approaching. His eyes locked on the shadow. Lucifer lifted his head from the soul vampire’s carcass and growled. Doc exhaled with relief when he saw that the approaching figure was Reinhard.

  “Sind Sie ordnung, Artz?” he asked, too excited to remember to speak in English.

  “I’m fine.” Doc staggered to his feet. Lucifer saddled up beside him.

  “Wo ist Bait?”

  Doc gestured behind him. “He went to check out the gunfire.”

  Reinhard relaxed. “I’ll stand guard here. Go see if anyone needs you.”

  Doc nodded and headed back into camp with Lucifer staying close to his side.

  Haneef stood in the center of the line, firing short controlled bursts as a horde of soul vampires swarmed them. The Gainesville Mafia, Renato, and Philippe stood to his right, with Neal, David, and Franco to his left. They had already taken down ten of the demons in less than a minute, and at least another half-dozen were crashing through the woods toward them.

  One soul vampire leaped out of the dark toward Haneef. He pressed the trigger and swung the barrel toward it. The hail of gunfire tore it apart, throwing the shredded carcass backward until it collided with another approaching soul vampire. The second one stumbled and fell to the ground. Before it could get back up, Haneef lowered the minigun and decimated it with a twenty-round burst.

  Behind them, Petra cried out for help.

  As the attack unfolded, Petra, Sook-kyoung, and Ray grabbed their weapons and moved off to protect the left flank. Using the trees as cover, they scanned the area ahead of them for signs of movement. Petra noticed that every few seconds Ray would check behind them, making sure nothing was sneaking up from the rear. She had begun to breathe easier when the horses off to her left stirred. At first, they merely stamped their feet. After a few seconds, the commotion grew into a panic. They whinnied and bit at the bridles that tied them to the trees. She knew it could mean only one thing.

  Petra called out to Sook-kyoung. “The vampires are attacking the horses.”

  Before Sook-kyoung could stop her, Petra broke rank.

  She found a single soul vampire attacking the last horse in the herd. Every time it got close, the horse kicked at it with its hind legs, smashing its hoofs into the demon’s face and chest. The soul vampire judged its attack and, after one kick when the horse’s legs were descending, it leaped onto the animal’s back and plunged its fangs into its neck. The horse bucked, trying to throw off the demon.

  Petra switched her FAMAS to single shot mode and aimed, centering the sights on the soul vampire’s head. She pulled the trigger. Because of the horse’s bucking, the bullet hit the demon’s neck. It released its bite on the horse and spun around, seeing Petra standing only ten feet away. She steadied her aim for another shot when the demon lunged. Petra raised the automatic weapon across her face. The soul vampire crashed into her, propelling them both to the ground. It plunged its head toward her neck and closed its jaws around the weapon’s barrel. Petra locked her elbows, trying to keep the demon at arms’ length. She knew from the pain in her muscles that she would not be able to hold it away for long.

  “Somebody help me!” she yelled.

  Sasha tried to get her footing in the
dirt when she heard something on four legs run up to her. She expected to see a soul vampire going for her throat. Instead, Lilith crossed in front of the woman and stood to her left, her head darting around in search of danger. A second later, a hand wrapped itself under her shoulder and lifted her off the ground.

  “Did you get bit?” asked Doc.

  “No. Antoine pushed me out of the way in time.”

  Fear suddenly gripped her. Spinning around, she desperately searched for Jason.

  Jason dropped his crossbow and unsheathed his machete as he ran over to help Antoine, although the Moroccan didn’t need help. Even though he was on the ground with the soul vampire crouched on top of him, Antoine had his left hand around its neck, holding the demon in place while he pounded his right fist into its face. With each punch, the soul vampire became more disoriented. After the fifth blow, it wrenched itself free from Antoine’s grip and tried to escape, running only a few yards before tumbling onto its side. Antoine jumped to his feet and chased after it. He kicked the soul vampire in the abdomen. The demon mewled and curled up in a fetal position. Antoine continued savaging the demon until, on the seventh kick, it convulsed violently. A pathetic moan escaped from its jaws, followed by a trickle of blood. The soul vampire’s head dropped to one side.

  Stepping over, Jason raised the machete and brought it down across the demon’s neck. The head bounced in the dirt before coming to a stop a few inches from the lifeless body.

  “Are you hurt?” asked Jason.

  “It takes more than a Hell Spawn to bring me down.” Antoine coughed up a wad of phlegm and spit it onto the demon’s severed head.

  Jason smiled at the bravado. Then he heard Petra cry out in agony.

  Petra smelled the stench of acid coming from the soul vampire’s mouth. She shifted her body to the right and her arms to the left, which turned its head to one side. The soul vampire vomited. The FAMAS lodged in its throat diverted much of the spew, but not enough. One stream shot down her left arm and splattered her face. The burning was immediate and intense. Petra felt the layers of skin shear off and screamed as the acid ate through her muscles. Christ, she even felt it melting her teeth. Petra released her grip on the FAMAS. The soul vampire flicked its head to the right, tossing the weapon into the woods. It turned back to her and snarled, its jaws open wide, ready to feed. Thank God, she thought. Please put me out of my misery.

  She was only vaguely aware of someone rushing up, and then the soul vampire was no longer on top of her. Blood dripped across her face, providing some relieve from the agony. It was the last sensation she remembered.

  “Go help Petra,” said Ray. “I’ll be fine.”

  Sook-kyoung headed toward where they had tied up the horses. She found Petra pinned to the ground by one of the demons. It had vomited acid bile on her. Even over the woman’s screams, Sook-kyoung could hear the sizzling as it ate away at Petra’s flesh. The soul vampire ripped the automatic weapon out of Petra’s hands. Sook-kyoung ran up and launched a drop kick into the soul vampire’s face. Her foot connected with the demon’s mouth, knocking it off Petra. Broken fangs and blood dripped on the wounded woman’s face. The soul vampire rolled into a crouching position. It snarled at Sook-kyoung, preparing to pounce. Sook-kyoung took up a defensive stance. When it lunged, she jumped and spun her body to the right, using her left leg to drive a roundhouse kick to the demon’s head. It stumbled off to the right and landed face first in the dirt, dazed. Sook-kyoung rushed over, raised her right leg, and brought the heel down on the back of its neck with a loud crack. The soul vampire went limp.

  Sook-kyoung raced over to Petra and knelt beside her. When she leaned over and tilted Petra’s face to the side to get a better view, her dinner rose up in her throat. The left side of Petra’s cheek had been burned away, exposing the jaw underneath. Her arm had suffered third-degree burns, and her flight suit was seared into the flesh in several places. The skin and muscles on her hand were gone, leaving only a few meaty clumps covering the knuckles and thumb.

  “Doc!” Sook-kyoung screamed. “I need you now!”

  Haneef heard Sook-kyoung’s cry for help. His group had gunned down the last soul vampire nearly a minute ago, and now the woods were quiet except for the panicked neighing of the horses and the shouts and screams from the others. He closed his eyes and said a prayer to Allah for whichever of their comrades had fallen.

  “Is everyone okay?”

  Each of those in the line applied in the affirmative, except for Renato. Franco snapped his fingers to get the Italian’s attention, pointed to him, and raised his eyebrows. Renato smiled and gave Franco a nod indicating he was fine.

  Stepping away from the others, Franco headed toward the mass of mutilated soul vampires.

  “Where are you going?” asked Josh.

  “You guys stay here and keep me covered. I want to get a body count.”

  Jason and Doc were already heading toward the sound of the scream when Sook-kyoung called to them. Jason could tell by her voice that something bad had happened. The two quickened their pace. They found Sook-kyoung kneeling beside Petra. The latter didn’t move. Even in the dim light this far from the campfire, Jason could tell she had been hurt badly. The panic in Sook-kyoung’s eyes confirmed Jason’s worst fears.

  “One of the vampires spit acid vomit on her.” She spoke rapidly, running her words together. “You have to do something for her.”

  “Let me see.” Doc knelt beside Petra and placed his index and middle finger against her carotid artery.

  “Is she…?” Jason let his question fall off.

  “She’s unconscious. Give me your canteen.”

  Jason unscrewed the top and handed it over. Doc held it above Petra’s face and poured it out in small amounts, washing away the residual acid. As he cleaned her up, he glanced to Sook-kyoung. “My med kit is attached to my saddle. Please get it for me.”

  “W-will she be all right?” Sook-kyoung stammered.

  “Not if I don’t get my med kit.”

  Sook-kyoung nodded and ran off.

  Sasha and Antoine arrived at the scene. When Sasha saw Petra’s face she gasped. Even Antoine closed his eyes and bowed his head.

  “Go find Neal and bring him here,” Doc ordered Sasha.

  She hesitated a second before darting off into the dark.

  Petra opened her eyes. They wandered for several seconds, glazed and unfocused. Finally, she recognized Doc and forced a wan smile that seemed grotesque through the seared off skin from her cheek. “Hey, Doc,” she rasped.

  Doc took her right hand and squeezed, trying to offer comfort. “How are you feeling, Petra?”

  “Tired.” She shrugged and winced. “And my left arm hurts.”

  “You’ll be fine. Just lay there and stay calm.”

  Sook-kyoung came up with the med kit and unlatched the top. Doc reached in and pulled out a small vial filled with a colorless liquid and a hypodermic needle. He handed them to the Korean. “Fill the needle with eight milligrams.”

  Sook-kyoung took them. “What is it?”

  “Morphine.”

  Jason knelt down on the other side of Petra. He spoke quietly so no one else could hear. “Is she going to make it?”

  Doc shook his head.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Neal came running up. Jason stood and walked over to Sook-kyoung and Antoine. Sasha followed him.

  “Were there any other casualties?” Jason asked Sook-kyoung.

  She stared at Petra lying on the ground.

  “Sook-kyoung!”

  She snapped her attention to Jason. “What?”

  “Were there any other casualties?”

  “Not on the left flank.”

  “Good. Go check on Ray, and stay with him until I figure out what we’re going to do.”

  “Yes, sir.” Sook-kyoung raced off.

  Sir? Jason would have laughed if he could have found anything humorous about the situation. He stepped over to Antoine.

  �
��I don’t want to be surprised again. Take up position to the south in case there are any more of those things lurking around.”

  The Moroccan nodded and walked off.

  Slava appeared out of the darkness and approached the campfire. “Who screamed?”

  “Petra,” said Jason. “One of the soul vampires vomited on her.”

  “How bad?”

  “Most of her left arm and half her face are burned.”

  “Shit.”

  “Did you guys suffer any casualties?”

  The Russian shook his head. “Only three soul vampires attacked us, and we took them out easily enough. It sounded like all the fighting came from the north.”

  Jason had not heard from Haneef’s team yet. He was about to send Slava to check when he saw Haneef and Josh approaching.

  “How did you make out?” asked Jason.

  “No one was hurt. I used up all my ammo, though.” Haneef unstrapped his backpack as he spoke and slid it off his shoulders.

  “How many came after you?”

  “Twenty-three.”

  “Christ,” said Slava. “That means almost thirty of them attacked us.”

  “We’ve never seen them travel in such numbers before,” added Sasha.

  “They didn’t sneak up on us like they usually do.” Haneef rotated his shoulders to work out the kinks. “They started their charge about three hundred feet out. I heard them before I saw them. Thank Allah, otherwise, we would have been overrun.”

  “Why are they behaving this way?” Jason asked almost to himself.

  “Because they’re starving.” The answer came from Doc. Only then did Jason realize the doctor had joined them, leaving Neal to dress Petra’s wounds. “They abandoned their pack mentality and went feral, putting aside cooperation and stealth out of desperation to get food. One of them even went after the horses, which we’ve never seen them do before. I bet they haven’t eaten in weeks.”

  “Which means…?” Slava’s question trailed off.

  Sasha answered. “There’s no more food in the area.”

  “Which means there are no humans in the area,” added Jason.