Hell Gate

by Josh Matthews

He sighed. “Etes-vous sûr de cela?”

  “Oui, Oncle.”

  Reno sighed. “While we can’t condone sending a team in with you, Jeanette has volunteered to lead you to Notre Dame. She went to school in Paris for a year and accompanied several of the raiding parties when we used to send them.”

  “We can’t allow that,” said Doc. “She’s much too young.”

  Jeanette bristled at the insult. “Vous vissez! I’m just as old as Jason, and you let him lead you.”

  “That’s different,” Doc argued.

  “How?”

  “Because….” Doc didn’t have an answer. He turned to Sasha. “Help me out.”

  Sasha didn’t respond. Jason thought she was confused, as if uncertain how to respond. Not that it mattered. This was his group, and he decided to end the argument.

  “Jeanette is going with us. Without her, we don’t stand a chance of making it to Notre Dame alive.” He glanced up at Jeanette. “Merci.”

  “Mon plasir,” she flirted.

  Reno reached out his hand and placed it over Jason’s, the touch surprisingly gentle. “Please take care of my niece. She’s impetuous, just like the rest of her family.”

  “I will.” The words were promise enough. Reno gave Jason’s hand a squeeze.

  “When do we leave?” asked Slava.

  “Tomorrow morning.” Reno removed his hand. “It’s fifty miles to Nanterre, so you’ll spend the first night in Bouafle and proceed to the warehouse the following day. Jeanette will lead you into Paris on day three.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “We’ll give you enough food and water for seven days. Right now I suggest you all rest. You will need all your strength when you reach Paris.”

  Reno stood, and with a nod to Jason and the others, left the dining hall. Jeanette paused long enough to flash Jason a flirtatious smile and then joined her uncle.

  With less than twenty-four hours until they departed, that gave Jason plenty of time to do what he had to.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  The rest of the day passed by quicker than expected, mostly because there were so many tasks to complete before their departure, which thankfully kept everyone from thinking about the dangers they faced. The teams spent most of the day cleaning their weapons and stocking up on food and water for the journey. Sasha and Haneef checked their miniguns and reviewed their ammo supply. Each of them already had used one full backpack of ammunition, and they were still two days from Paris. Jason had admonished them to conserve their ammo until they reached Notre Dame, though, in reality, he knew that would be a lot easier said than done.

  Jason and Jeanette spent the day going over their plans for entering Paris. Once in Nanterre, the group would set out on foot through the Metro. They would follow the red line underneath the suburbs into the city and make their way to the station closest to Notre Dame Cathedral, which was a distance of a few blocks. Then they would surface, make a dash for the cathedral, and close down the Hell Gate. The plan seemed simple enough, although Jason couldn’t help remembering a quote his high school history teacher had told him that came from some German general who said: “No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy.”

  For Jason, the most difficult part of the day occurred when he went outside to check on the horses. Sook-kyoung and four young kids from the Enclave, three girls and a boy, were feeding and grooming them. He thought of Petra and how, if she were not on her death bed, she would be out here taking care of the animals she loved so much.

  Everyone settled down right after dinner, and most of them dozed off quickly despite their anxiety about tomorrow. Jason lay in his sleeping bag for over an hour. When he was certain the others were asleep, he got up and quietly slipped out of the dining hall. Making his way down to the lower levels of the bunker, he found Jeanette’s private room and stepped inside.

  Petra lay on the cot. No one attended to her. Jason knelt beside her. The putrid odor of decayed tissue wafted up from underneath the sheets, signifying that the infection had spread. He was tempted to see for himself but refrained, not wanting to take from Petra the last shred of dignity she had left. Instead, he pushed aside the sheet along the left side of the cot until he exposed Petra’s arm. Wrapping his fingers around her hand, he squeezed gently. He wanted to reassure Petra that someone cared for her, wanted to offer her a moment of comfort, even if she didn’t consciously realize it. Jason felt the fever radiating from her palm. Thankfully, Doc had been keeping her sedated otherwise, the pain she experienced from the infection would be agonizing. They could have shot her back at the camp site, or overdosed her on narcotics, which would have ended her misery sooner, but that would have meant leaving her body in the woods. Jason would not allow that. He owed Petra a better departure from this world.

  Standing up, Jason moved to the end of the cot. Bending over, he stroked her hair several times, pushing the loose strands off her face and wiping away the sweat. Placing one hand behind her head, he lifted it up and, with his other hand, removed the pillow.

  “Please forgive me.”

  Jason placed the pillow over Petra’s face and held it in place with both hands. Her body twitched as the flow of oxygen to her lungs stopped. She gasped for breath beneath the material. Jason pushed down tighter, hoping to end her torment quickly. Petra’s body gave one final twitch and went limp. Placing the pillow back under Petra’s head, Jason stroked her hair one final time, pushing the strands back into place and making her look as presentable in death as possible. He wanted to shed a tear over his friend, but none flowed.

  “You’re in a better place now.”

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Everyone traveling to Paris gathered together in the dining hall two hours before sunrise. The Enclave provided a hot meal, although no one ate much. Everyone engaged in idol small talk as they came to terms with what they would face over the next few days. Doc entered the dining hall halfway through the meal to announce that Petra had died in her sleep. The news sent a bad vibe throughout the group. Although everyone had expected it and was glad that the young woman no longer suffered, her death created an ominous undertone for the coming journey. When Doc joined Jason at the table, he offered a nod of approval, silently acknowledging that Jason had done the right thing.

  Ninety minutes later, the group mounted their horses. Reno and the rest of the Enclave leaders stood at a respectful distance. When they were ready to depart, Reno came forward and offered Jason his hand.

  “Please keep Jeanette safe.”

  Jason gave the hand a firm pump. “You have my word on it.”

  “Good luck, my friend. You’ll need it.”

  Reno stepped aside and motioned to open the corral gate. Jason swung his horse around and headed out, with Jeanette close behind and the werehounds by his side. The others fell in line, Jason’s team first and then Haneef’s and Sasha’s. Other members of the Enclave had gathered around the fence to wish them well. Jason assumed most of them also came to say goodbye.

  The group broke through the woods into an open field. The sun had crested the horizon, bathing them in the first light of dawn. A morning mist hung low to the ground. Birds chirped in the nearby trees and, a few yards ahead of them, a rabbit darted from its warren and raced across the grass. It was a beautiful morning, like the one’s Jason remembered when his mother would take him to the countryside for long weekends.

  Too bad it would probably be one of his last.

  Book Three

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Once clear of the bunker, the group formed up in its usual traveling pattern. Jeanette rode on Jason’s right, leading the way, while Lilith and Lucifer plodded along on his left. Slava trailed behind, keeping close to Doc and the saddlebag containing the antimatter device. They were flanked on either side by two of the Enclavers, Jean and Emile. The other two Enclavers brought up the rear.

  The group rode through farmland and forest for almost an hour before eventually emerging onto the A13, the ma
in highway that led to Paris. Jeanette led her horse up the embankment and headed east. They continued along the A13 for over an hour. Jason waited for Jeanette to lead them back into open country, which she never did. Finally, he moved up alongside her.

  “How long are we going to stay on the highway?”

  “Until we reach Chambourcy. Then we’ll pick up the A14 into Nanterre. It’s the quickest way. It’ll get us there in less than two days.”

  “Isn’t that dangerous? What about the Hell Spawn?”

  “We haven’t seen any Hell demons out here for the past two months, so we’ll be safe.” Her voice trailed off. “I wish I could say the same for when we reach Paris.”

  Jason paused, not entirely certain if he wanted to ask the next question. “What exactly will we find in the city?”

  “Hell on Earth.”

  “Isn’t that a bit melodramatic?”

  “It’s a fact.” Jeanette looked over at him. For the first time, Jason saw fear in her eyes. “That gate leads to the underworld, and it’s spewing out Hell demons. It’s impossible to move around the city now without running into hundreds of them. It’s why we stopped going there.”

  “What type of Hell Spawn?”

  “Mostly the undead and soul suckers.”

  “Your uncle said we’d run into other demons there. What type?”

  “I don’t know. No one ever got closer than a thousand yards to Notre Dame, and that was at night. The sole survivor of that raid reported seeing other Hell demons around the cathedral, some about the same size as the lava monsters, but couldn’t make out what they were in the dark.”

  “Survivor?”

  Jeanette nodded. “Five of our people made it near Notre Dame. Only one got out of the city alive.”

  Shit, thought Jason. What have I gotten us into?

  Jeanette was right about the journey being faster along the A13, despite all the abandoned vehicles. The closer they got to Paris, the more cars and trucks lay scattered along the highway. At first, they made Jason nervous because he expected the Hell Spawn to come out of hiding and attack. However, they encountered only wildlife for the first five miles, and none of the Enclavers seemed concerned. Lucifer and Lilith were at ease, racing about and sniffing each vehicle, and occasionally chasing a squirrel or rabbit. Soon even Jason relaxed.

  Outside of Buchelay, three figures sprawled across the highway. At first, Jason thought they were Nachzehrer. As they drew closer, he saw they were skeletons. The exposed bones had been picked clean of flesh and bleached white by the sun. Each wore soiled, weathered clothes in various states of disrepair. The pavement beneath each had been stained dark from where the corpses had rotted away.

  “What happened here?” asked Jason.

  “They’re the remains of those overrun by Hell demons. Their numbers increase the closer we get to Paris.” Jeanette seemed confused. “You haven’t seen them before?”

  Jason shook his head. “By the time the Hell Spawn made it to Normandy, everyone was already dead or had evacuated the region.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” Jeanette waved Jean over. “Go back and warn the others that they’ll be seeing a lot more of this as we approach Paris. I don’t want anyone freaking out on us.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Jean spun his horse around and rode back to the others.

  “Will it be like this in Paris?” asked Jason.

  “Worse,” replied Jeanette. “In Paris, the dead outnumber the Hell demons.”

  Chapter Forty

  The group arrived on the outskirts of Bouafle an hour before sunset. The town sat to the south, silent and desolate. To the north, farmland stretched to the horizon. Jeanette led the way off the A13 and down the embankment toward a copse of trees north of the eastern end of town. Nestled among the trees sat a two-story farmhouse. Everyone dismounted. As the Enclavers gathered up the horses and brought them around back, Jeanette led the others inside.

  The Enclave had stocked the farmhouse with enough canned goods to last a group of twenty almost a month. As the others relaxed, Josh and Shane prepared a dinner of beef stew and vegetables, both from cans. Everyone slowly opened up, and the dinner conversation was amiable, a welcome switch after the long, quiet journey. By the time they had finished eating, most of the members were laughing. Jason hated to bring up the subject of their mission.

  Jason stood. “Okay, people. Tomorrow we’ll be entering the outskirts of Paris. Jeanette warned me that the city is swarming with Hell Spawn, more than we’ve ever encountered before.”

  The mood became solemn.

  “She also told me that there are Hell Spawn in Paris we haven’t encountered yet.”

  “What type?” Slava asked.

  “We don’t know,” answered Jeanette. “My people who went to Notre Dame couldn’t get close enough to see them clearly, and most of them died getting that small bit of information.”

  Jason could feel the trepidation spread through his people. “Jeanette says we should be safe on the trip to Nanterre and shouldn’t run into any Hell Spawn until we get out of the subway. However, it’s been two months since any of her people have come this far, so the situation may have changed. In any case, I want us all to be on our guard tomorrow. What’s our ammo situation like?”

  Haneef shrugged. “I used up a full pack between the wasps and the soul vampires the other night.”

  Sasha bowed her head. “I used up a full pack in Falaise, and another half pack fighting the magma monster.”

  Shit. “What about the rest of you?”

  “I haven’t used that much,” said Antoine. “Five magazines, six at most.”

  “Same here,” added Reinhard.

  Ray raised his hand. “Ditto.”

  Most of the others responded the same way until the conversation got to Josh. He pointed to the rest of the Gainesville Mafia. “We’re down to less than a hundred rounds each.”

  “How did that happen?” Jason blurted out.

  “We used up a lot defending the camp from the soul vampire attack the other night,” Josh answered defensively.

  Double shit.

  Jeanette broke in. “We have some ammunition hidden away in the basement. Most of it is for our AK-47s. There might be some 5.56 mm rounds for your weapons. You’re welcome to it. Unfortunately, we don’t have any ammo for the miniguns. We also have a dozen flashlights. We’ll need them if we hope to make it through the subway without getting lost.”

  “Thanks,” said Jason. “From here on in, try to conserve as much ammunition as possible until we get to Notre Dame Cathedral. We’re going to need everything we have if we hope to fight our way inside and close down the Hell Gate.”

  “What happens if we run into Hell Spawn?” asked Sook-kyoung.

  “We’ll avoid them if we can,” answered Jason.

  “Easier said than done,” said Reinhard.

  “And we still have to deal with all the Hell Spawn left behind once the gate is closed,” said Antoine. “Assuming we’re successful.”

  Jason could feel pessimism gripping the group. That would get them killed quicker than anything else. He sought Doc’s guidance.

  “Hopefully the closing of the portal will disorient the Hell Spawn long enough for us to make our way back to the subway.” Doc offered the explanation as a lame hope.

  Jason knew the others saw through it, although he still appreciated the gesture. “Any questions?”

  There were none. “Good. We’ll post guards around the perimeter. Same shifts as we’ve done in the past. For those of you not standing guard, get a good night’s sleep. It’ll be the last rest you get until we leave Paris.”

  Chapter Forty-One

  Jason made his rounds, checking on those standing guard. Jeanette had offered her Enclavers for each of the watch shifts. Jason appreciated the gesture more than Jeanette would ever know. It eased some of the pressure on his people who had been picking up the slack after having lost so many in the group. More importantly, it propped up his
people’s morale, even if only slightly. For the first time since leaving Mont St. Michel, his group felt as though they were not alone in their endeavor, that there were other survivors who supported them. His people realized that what they were undertaking would have benefits far beyond their own small group. The surge in confidence had bolstered their wavering determination. Jason hoped his people could maintain that cohesion until they completed their mission.

  Jason made his way back to the farmhouse. He broke into a grin when he saw Jeanette sitting on the front steps.

  “Couldn’t sleep?” Jason asked as he walked up.

  “Not really. I wanted to talk to you without the others around.” She patted the step beside her.

  “What did you want to talk about?” asked Jason as he sat beside her.

  “Do you really think you can close down the Hell Gate and put an end to all of this?”

  “Doc says the device will work, and Jacques has enough faith in him to send us here to accomplish it.”

  “I asked if you think it’s possible.”

  Jason started to reply with some bullshit bravado but paused, knowing Jeanette would see right through that. He owed her the truth. “I don’t know. I’d like to think we could. But if what you say is true, there are several hundred Hell Spawn between us and the portal. That doesn’t put the odds in our favor.”

  Jeanette stared down at the steps. “Then why bother?”

  “What else can we do? If we stay holed up in Mont St. Michel, we’ll die anyway. The Hell Spawn are moving in our direction. In a few weeks, they’ll reach the city. Once they do, we have no chance of defeating them. If I’m going to die, I want to at least die trying to stop this.”

  Jeanette sat silent.

  “Your uncle made it clear he thinks we’ll fail.”

  “I’m afraid he’s right.”

  “If you think we have no chance of success, why did you agree to come along?”

  “Because you’re the only ones who’ve had the guts to try.” Jeanette’s gaze met his. “Everyone we’ve come across these past eight months has been escaping from the Hell Spawn. And it’s not just here in Europe. No one has tried to close down the Hell Gates. The Russians, Chinese, Japanese, and Americans have all run away and gone into hiding, hoping to wait out the apocalypse. Not you, though. You’re taking the fight back to Hell. I haven’t seen bravery like that in a long time, not even from my uncle. I want to be a part of it, no matter what happens.”