by Erik Lynd
About twenty feet above the floor an old, rusting platform circled the room with two sets of stairs to the lip below. The doorway Silas was looking through opened onto this platform. Silas eyed it critically. He wondered how well it would support his weight.
Bellow, Mephisto stood looking at his watch and tapping his foot impatiently. His great bulk took up a large portion of the floor. Three Bone Gnawers stood against one wall, looking nervous. Silas guessed they knew what was coming and he didn’t blame them, a demon incarnate was enough to make anyone nervous.
Abigail was on the floor propped against the wall. Steel cable wrapped her body in three places. No magic manacles for her; steel cables would hold her just as securely. She moved her head slightly and Silas could see she was awake.
He had no idea how long Mephisto had been waiting, but by the way he kept checking his watch he appeared impatient, which meant the demon could show up at any minute. As he watched, Mephisto waved his hand over the pit and spoke the summoning words. He spoke them loudly, again a sign of impatience. It was probably not the first time he had tried.
Abigail was seated near another passage. The Bone Gnawers had their eyes on the Pit. He might be able to sneak through that back passage and grab her. It was the only plan he had.
He ducked back through the passage he had come and circled around, trying to remember which tunnel would connect with the one closest to her. He felt a rumbling vibration coming through the rock. Abaddon was coming, he had to hurry. When he thought he was in the right one, he poked his head through the doorway. Abigail sat off to his right close to the passage. Mephisto and the Bone Gnawers had their backs to them as they watched the show in the Pit.
It started as a small vibration then whispers of a thousand suffering voices began echoing out of the pit. There was the sound of rushing wind, then screaming voices in the distance. They grew louder, and a banging started shaking the room as though something was crawling up through the hole in the floor. And something was.
Black shadow mist spilled from the Pit like an overflowing septic. The screams grew louder as a liquid-like tar bubbled up from below. It churned and leaped as though boiling, but there was no heat. It was as though the mist stole the heat from the room, dropping it to below freezing almost instantly.
Abaddon always did know how to make an entrance.
The boiling of the tar subsided and a shape began to take form in the shiny goop. It stretched and flowed, slowly transforming into a demonic visage. The Bone Gnawers took a step back. Silas, who by now was out in the room a few feet from Abigail, paused, hoping they wouldn’t decide to turn and run. If they did, they would run right into him. Abigail was also looking at the pit in horrid fascination, so she didn’t see him.
A large head had formed above the black pool. A black mouth filled with glistening teeth smiled at them; above the mouth two big sloped eyes stared. The whole head was maybe ten feet across.
Silas had to move fast. He reached a hand around Abigail’s mouth and clamped down, stifling any surprised screams and found she was already gagged. She must have been giving them an earful. For a moment he felt sorry for them, then he leaned her back so she could see it was him. Her eyes widened in surprise.
“Why have you summoned me Mephisto?” Abaddon said his voice low and slow, vibrating through the walls.
“I have come to deliver a tribute to the entire infernal realm, a Saint. I thought it fitting to deliver her to hell through your gate.”
And that was when all eyes turned to look at Abigail and Silas as he investigated her cables.
“What…” Mephisto stuttered in surprise and then recovered with a smile. “Well Silas, I am not sure how you escaped Webb, but I guess the more the merrier.”
“Just don’t throw your man boobs at us again,” Silas said as the Bone Gnawers surrounded him. He reached for his demonic fury again and it was there, but only a whisper, his touch slid passed it. Damn.
“Always the sarcastic one, even when you should be begging for mercy. I know giving you over to Abaddon and the Pit will not kill you, but you will suffer as you never have until you are finally spit out at home.”
Silas lowered his eyes as though concerned and thinking. He gathered all the skills of every liar, con man, and card shark he had ever possessed.
“Look at you Silas. Striped of your demon essence--I can see you still have the manacles--and trying to save a Saint? Really? Look what this indenture to the Vatican has cost you. You are their lackey, already trained to save their precious packages. It is making you foolish and stupid. Throwing you into the Pit will be a great lesson, and I know in ten years or so when you get out you will thank me for it.”
Silas staggered a little as if stunned. He took a few steps toward Mephisto before falling to his knees, tears in his eyes.
“Silas sheds tears?” Grumbled Abaddon. “I suppose there are still a few surprises left for someone as ancient as me. Give me the Saint, Mephisto. I would taste her soul.”
“Please,” Silas whispered.
“What was that?” Mephisto asked. “Did I hear Silas Robb say please?”
He took a few steps closer and leaned over.
“Come on Silas, beg. Beg and I can finally say I have seen it all. I can spend the rest of eternity knowing I made Silas Robb beg.”
“Please, just take off the manacles. Don’t send me into the Pit with these on.”
Silas thrust out his hands towards Mephisto letting them shine in the light of the lamps the Bone Gnawers carried.
“Oh yes! Silas begging. That is better than any music to my—wait let me see those,” Mephisto said with a sudden frown. He stepped forward and grabbed both of Silas’s wrists.
In the nineteen twenties Silas had possessed a fellow named Ralph Melnish. He was a small time hood that dealt in card tricks and shell games. He was a pitiful little man who died at thirty three, and Silas could honestly say the most exciting event of his life was being possessed by a demon. As well as being very good at sleight of hand--maybe the best there ever was--there was one trick in particular that he had mastered. When a cop tried to put cuffs on Ralph, the officer would usually find that somehow the hand cuffs had found their way onto to officer’s own hands. It was a trick that he was so famous for, police would usually knock him unconscious before handcuffing him. That was back when cops could beat up a guy for no reason at all, especially a small time hood.
With a quick movement, the demon manacles closed on Mephisto’s wrists with a click. Mephisto stepped backed as though he had been slapped. “What? No, no what is this?”
Before the Bone Gnawers could react, Silas ripped the bracelets off and showed them. They hesitated, unsure of who held the power now.
“No Silas, wait, how did you… we can make a deal,” Mephisto said, holding up his now shackled arms. “I have connections! You know I didn’t mean what I was saying…”
He staggered a little. With his demon strength gone he was not used to supporting his own huge weight
“Give me the Saint,” cried Abaddon.
“Sorry Abaddon, no Saint for you today. How about roast pork instead?” Silas said and then slammed his shoulder into Mephisto, sending his already unstable body over the side.
The blackness in the Pit reacted as Mephisto went in, bubbling and spiting. Abaddon let out a small sigh of pleasure, but Silas doubted he would be satisfied until he had Abigail too.
“Now Silas, give me the Saint. Give us the Saint. Think of the glory. I will personally commend you to the infernal host,” Abaddon said.
“Sorry, never really been one for caring what people think,” Silas said.
The Bone Gnawers were looking at each other as though trying to decide what to do. Silas showed them his unadorned wrist and tried to look menacing. Another bluff, and he did not think it would last long. Unfortunately, they had blocked the door and he was not sure if his bluff would hold if he charged them. Stalemate.
The only way out appeared to be the
steps going up to the rusty platform above. He gestured for Abigail to stand. Her arms were bound to her torso, but her legs were free to move. She tottered to her feet. Silas stepped toward the Bone Gnawers, but they didn’t flinch. Time to go, they were gaining their courage. Silas turned, threw Abigail over his shoulder with a muffled squawk from her and a wince from him as his bruised ribs sent a stab of pain into his side, and ran toward the stairs. The Bone Gnawers chased after him.
He was three steps up the stairs when rust started falling from above and the metal started moaning in protest. The stairs lurched as the bolts securing it to the concrete wall came loose. He had no choice but to keep moving and hope it would hold; a Bone Gnawer was already on the stairs behind him. He heard Abaddon chuckle at the show.
Letting out a final shudder and screech, the catwalk pulled away from the wall completely. With the sound of metal sheering, it swung out over the pit. Silas fell, and the catwalk sunk out from beneath his feet and sloped toward the black tar below. With one hand holding the steel cable binding Abigail, he caught the railing with the other to stop their slide.
The Bone Gnawer was less lucky. The railing it grabbed tore away from its hands in a shower of rust. He slid down the bent metal of what was left of the stairs. Abaddon had moved its head to the bottom of the stairs, widening it already huge mouth. The Bone Gnawer slid off the metal stairs and into the waiting mouth lined with teeth. He disappeared with a gulp.
“And now the Saint,” Abaddon called up. “Drop her Silas and I will let you crawl away unharmed. There is no other choice, the metal won’t hold much longer. It is old, so old.” He chuckled that low baritone rumble again.
The catwalk lurched and Silas looked down at Abigail. She nodded at him. He ignored her as a Saint becoming a martyr was a little too dramatic for his tastes. He looked around desperately trying to figure out a way up as the metal catwalk careened even further over the Pit. In moments it would drop in. He could not let go of the railing with his hand to try to climb, the moment he did they would both slide into Abaddon’s maw.
A rope hit him in the face. He looked up and there, just inside an upper passage, was Lily; the rope went past her to the tunnel beyond. Silas assumed Leonard was at the other end, hopefully securing it somewhere because he doubted Leonard could hold his and Abigail’s weight by himself. The catwalk lurched again, and Silas let go of the railing and reached for the rope. He grabbed it and immediately started sliding, the rope burning through his hand. He reached for his demonic fury and it was there, at least a part. He clamped down on the rope, ignoring the pain and they stopped their slide.
The other Bone Gnawers near the Pit had disappeared. Probably decided with their employer gone the job had gone to hell, literally, and it was time to get out while they still could.
He felt the rope tug and then they were moving back up, slowly. Silas found purchase with his feet in the metal grate and helped move them along.
“No! No!” Abaddon moaned as he saw his pray escaping. “Give me the Saint. Let me taste her flesh, please I beg you.”
Foot by foot they made it back to the passage as Abaddon screamed his rage louder and louder. When they reached the top, Lily helped pull them into the passage. Silas was feeling his demonic essence flowing through him once again. Instantly his injuries started healing. He grabbed the cable around Abigail and pulled them apart with a massive tug.
“Looks like you’re back to your old self,” Leonard said.
Silas smiled and flexed his hands feeling the strength returning.
Abigail pulled the gag out of her mouth. “What the hell happened? The last thing I remember was falling into the river, and then I woke up surrounded by Mephisto and those things in that room. They took my radio, so I couldn’t hear you.”
Lily quickly filled her in, including what Leonard had told them so far while Silas basked in the feeling of his returning fury. Abigail cast a quick glance at him when Lily mentioned that he had gone after her instead of stopping Webb right then and there, but she didn’t interrupt.
“No thanks necessary,” Silas said when Lily was done.
Abigail ignored him. “Ask Mort how much time we have before sunset?”
Lily relayed the question.
“A little over an hour until the sun goes down,” Mort said.
“A little over an hour,” Lily relayed.
“Thank God we still have a little time. I hope it will be enough. We should go,” Abigail said.
“Okay, maybe a little thanks would be nice,” Silas said with a frown.
“Thanks for what? Saving me or risking the end of the world?” Abigail said and stalked off down the passage. Lily looked up at Silas for a moment then ran ahead to catch up with Abigail.
Silas looked at Leonard and shrugged, “I’ve been around for millennia and I don’t ever think I’ll understand women.”
“That’s okay; I’m pretty sure the Creator didn’t have any idea what he was doing when he made them anyway,” Leonard said.
They followed after the ladies.
14
Leonard and Lily were able to guide them to the spot of the carvings once Silas got them to a point they recognized.
“I know of it and I have seen Webb’s people, but I am unsure of the location of this large cavern that you mentioned Lily,” Leonard said. He looked uncomfortable for a moment. “It has been so long, my people have forgotten how to find the cavern of the Wyrm. I have been trying to protect it and I don’t even know exactly where it is. Lily, I believe it might have been the cavern you saw or at least near there.”
Silas examined the carvings on the wall. He saw the depiction of the hunters subduing the beast underground. Across from the carving were the modern words in paint.
“I assume this is your work?” Silas asked and pointed at the writing.
“Yes, I was not sure I would be able to stop Webb, so I tried to write a warning. I know it is cryptic, but I planned to add more.”
“Can you tell us more about your people, the Nataepu I mean?” Abigail asked.
Leonard nodded wearily. “As I said, the shamans got together and formed a group secret even to the tribes. The Nataepu were required to learn as much as possible about the shamanic arts, to study as much as possible so we could protect the tribe when the Wyrm woke. All our teachings were handed down from generation to generation.”
“But it didn’t quite work out?” Abigail asked.
“No,” Leonard sighed; he was looking a little gray in the flashlight’s glare. “This was before the coming of the colonists and others. The original Nataepu could never guess how our world would change. With each generation more of the young ones grew disinterested or even refused to believe the tales. As science took over the world around us, our beliefs became the superstitions of savages. Now I am the last and left with only a scrap of the original teachings. My father was a great man, but even he had little to pass down.”
“I think I can lead us to the large cavern where I saw the creatures,” Lily said. “Are you going to make it? Do you need to rest?”
Leonard shook his head. “I have to see this through. If Webb does wake the Wyrm though, I am not sure I will have the strength to fight it, even with the sacred weapon.”
“Well, I guess we’ll have to stop him before he wakes it. Let’s go,” Silas said and gestured for Lily to lead the way.
She led them through several passages, pausing occasionally to get her bearings. The last time she had been here she had been running in fear. It wasn’t until he smelled a familiar scent that he stopped them.
“What?” Abigail asked.
Silas held up his hand to silence her. Then they all heard it--many footsteps, but also strange clicking sounds, and then the rough sound of something slithering on rock. Silas ushered them into a side passage and quickly took them down it several feet, turning off their lights before coming back to look at the tunnel they had just evacuated. Abigail took up position behind him.
Do
wn the hallway came the troupe of demons, walking, slithering, and clawing along like the world’s most grotesque menagerie. They were all low-level demons, more grunt soldiers than demons of any significance. Silas ducked back up the passage as they passed. He counted no more than a few dozen. This had to be Mephisto’s plan to double cross Webb by sending his own demon force.
Unfortunately, Mephisto had grossly underestimated Webb. It would not work; Silas guessed that by sheer number Webb’s army would defeat this haphazard demon force. It even looked as though they weren’t even all demons; some had been minor devils most likely forced into servitude by Mephisto, sort of like a demonic draft.
But maybe they could use this to their advantage. He and Abigail went back to the others after they had passed.
“I think we just saw Mephisto’s solution to Webb. A very small demon army,” he said.
“Do you think it will work?” Abigail asked.
“No. We’ve fought those lizard creatures and those demons were fairly low level grunts from hell. If Webb has any number of soldiers at all, these demons don’t stand a chance. But I do think it might work as a distraction. While the bulk of Webb’s people are fighting we might be able to get to him more easily.”
They followed the demonic platoon. It was not hard to follow the trail of foul smelling sludge and fecal spore left behind.
“I thought you said demons had to possess somebody to take form in this world. These things were monsters right?” Lily asked.
“Yeah. I’m using the term demon loosely. They are more like demonic pets than true demons. They were created by other true demons and have a form all unto themselves. Their primary use is to terrorize souls in hell, but they are also the frontline troops of demon armies. They are vicious and powerful fighters, but they have no real demonic essence or nature.”
Lily stopped them at a side passage. “This is where I headed to find the cavern, but the demon trail heads that direction.”
“Most likely Mephisto knew of another entrance to the cavern, probably the main entrance as that would be what Webb would have shown him. It looks like they’re going to knock on the front door, another reason this army will have little effect--no sense of strategy. We go your way, maybe we can avoid the chaos.”
